Lions’ Point Man Falters

Don Muhlbach wishes nobody knew his name.

“No one ever knows you until you mess up,” Detroit’s long snapper said.

Muhlbach messed up, allowing Minnesota to seal a 28-27 victory over the Lions on Sunday.

The rookie’s snap bounced to holder Nick Harris, who was tackled before he could get the football spotted for Jason Hanson, botching an extra-point kick with eight seconds left that would’ve tied the score.

“I feel bad for him,” Viking quarterback Daunte Culpepper said. “But I feel good for us.”

After the bad snap, Randy Moss recovered the on-side kick for the Vikings (8-6), who took a big step toward their first playoff berth in four years.

Despite losing five of its previous seven games, Minnesota can win the NFC North with a victory over Green Bay at home Friday and at Washington on Jan. 2. Minnesota could even be a wild-card team without another win.

Culpepper, who was 25 for 35 for 404 yards, threw three touchdown passes and Moe Williams scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard run with 1:37 left.

The Lions (5-9) drove 80 yards to pull within a point on Joey Harrington’s second touchdown pass to Roy Williams. Then came the botched point-after try.

Moss and Culpepper hooked up for the longest play of their careers, an 82-yard touchdown, and Moss finished with four catches for 102 yards.

He caught his 88th touchdown pass, tying Hall of Famer Don Maynard for eighth on the NFL’s all-time list, and had his 41st 100-yard game, surpassing Cris Carter’s team record.

Culpepper tied his career high of 33 touchdown passes, set in 2000, and is one shy of Randall Cunningham’s team mark. All of his scoring passes Sunday were on third downs.

Harrington was 25 for 44 for a career-high 361 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Williams had seven catches for 104 yards and scored for the first time in nearly two months.