Steelers-Vikings: The end of smashmouth?

The last time the Steelers and Vikings met, it was December 18, 2005, and the Steelers won, 18-3. Current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was Tampa Bay's secondary coach, current Vikings head coach Brad Childress was Philly's offensive coordinator, and Brett Favre(notes) hadn't even started waffling yet. It was a very different time, as evidenced by the rush/pass totals for both teams. The Steelers were still into smashmouth back then, using power running to protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger(notes), who threw 15 passes all day. Big Ben came close to having more rushing attempts (six) then completed passes (10). Brad Johnson(notes) threw 30 passes and completed only 16 against the vaunted Pittsburgh defense. 45 passing attempts in a single game? When the Vikings and Steelers face off today, we may see more than that by the end of the first half. Minnesota has gone a bit more pass-happy with Brett Favre in charge -- they average 30.7 attempts per game as opposed to 28...