Vikings' Jared Allen gets bloody nose from Buccaneers' Donald Penn (VIDEO)

The NFL failed to serve up a scintillating matchup Thursday night as its Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Minnesota Vikings tilt lined up opposite Game 2 of the World Series (though that will change Sunday night when Brees vs. Brady takes on Game 4).

Though the Fall Classic offered a far more taut contest than the Bucs' 36-17 bashing of the Vikes, there was one sequence that seemed briefly primed to spark some drama when two Pro Bowlers mixed it up.

Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen clearly thought Tampa Bay left tackle Donald Penn was overzealously pass blocking with 3:15 to go in the third quarter. Yet Penn had little interest in the two cents Allen offered, and a brief skirmish ensued with Allen losing his helmet and some blood from the bridge of his nose as the duo was assessed offsetting penalties. However Allen beat Penn for a sack on the next play, forcing a punt as the Metrodome — sorry, Mall of America Field — crowd erupted.

Alas, the Vikings were unable to build on what momentarily appeared to be a momentum swinger. The inept Minnesota offense never scored again, but score one for Allen, who rarely fails to entertain whether he's faced with a mammoth blocker or a microphone.