When Minneapolis-St. Paul applied for an NFL franchise in the sixties, they decided to adopt the team as a Minnesota one and not from the Twin Cities. They determined that a team that embraced the state would attract a bigger fan base.
Naming the team as the Minnesota Vikings became easy for a state proud of its ancestry.
The Vikings entered the NFL in 1961, and they currently edge the Steelers 9-10 in games played. Those figures include 1-1 when games are played on neutral territory. The Steelers won Super Bowl IX 16-6 but lost the regular season game 24-27 in London 2013.