PITTSBURGH — Three times the Minnesota Vikings were ready to take the lead and possibly put away the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Even for Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, three times weren't nearly enough to remain perfect against a defense that not only outplayed the Vikings but outscored them.

LaMarr Woodley returned Favre's fumble 77 yards for a touchdown and Keyaron Fox ran back an interception 82 yards for another score during the closing minutes, and the Steelers turned three major defensive stands into a 27-17 victory today to hand the Vikings their first loss.

Two goal-line stands helped turned the anticipated quarterback showdown between Favre and Ben Roethlisberger into a defensive duel. And the Super Bowl champion Steelers (5-2) are tough to beat in any game that's decided by defense. The Vikings (6-1) had a first down inside the Steelers 1 during the third quarter but settled for a field goal.

Woodley's return, with the linebacker huffing and puffing for the final 30 yards, was reminiscent of James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl against Arizona. The touchdown put the Steelers up 20-10 with 6:23 remaining, after the Vikings drove to the Steelers 8 and were in position to take their first lead since Peterson's 2-yard touchdown run put them up 7-3 in the second quarter.

Defensive end Brett Keisel stripped Favre of the ball as he dropped back to pass, and Woodley scooped it up to give the Steelers a seemingly secure lead. But Percy Harvin immediately came back with an 88-yard kickoff return touchdown, the second such score allowed by Pittsburgh in two games.

That gave Favre a chance to pull it out, and few quarterbacks have been as good as Favre at turning defeats into victories. The 40-year-old Favre, who had twice led the Vikings to last-gasp victories this season, couldn't pull this one out.

With Favre hitting Peterson on a 29-yard pass play, the Vikings drove to the Steelers 18 with just over a minute remaining, and their biggest victory of an improbably good season awaited. But Fox stepped in front of Favre's pass intended for Chester Taylor and returned it nearly the length of the field, with nearly every Viking except Favre in pursuit.

All Favre could do was shake his head in disbelief at missing not one, not two, but three chances to win.

The return scores were big enough, but the Steelers' best defensive stand came when they kept the momentum and the lead at 13-10 after Minnesota had a first down inside the 1 in the third quarter.