Minnesota Vikings 20
Arizona Cardinals 23
The Arizona Cardinals locked up a playoff spot as the Vikings fell to the Cardinals 23-20 Thursday night in Arizona.
1. Adrian Peterson reaches the century mark
.@AdrianPeterson reaches the end zone for the 100th time in his career! pic.twitter.com/1vWNKiQbR3
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 11, 2015
Adrian Peterson came out like a man possessed early Thursday night as he scored his 100th career touchdown giving the Vikings a 7-3 lead. Peterson became the 23rd NFL player with 100 touchdowns.
But things slowed down for AP in the second half and he finished with just 69 yards on 23 carries.
2. Vikings had their chances
The Vikings had three chances to score points in Arizona territory, but three fumbles ended a Vikings threat all three times.
None were bigger than a fumble at the end of regulation when Teddy Bridgewater’s arm was hit from behind by Dwight Freeney, costing the Vikings the game. Had the fumble not occurred, Blair Walsh could have attempted a 47-yard field goal to tie the game at the end of regulation.
Matt Kalil was beaten on the sack by Dwight Freeney. #Vikings
— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) December 11, 2015
Jarius Wright fumbled after a catch in the second quarter and Peterson fumbled in the third quarter while the Vikings were trying to run a reverse.
Hard to win games when you lose two fumbles in plus territory. #Vikings
— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) December 11, 2015
Looked like Peterson was trying to pitch that to Wallace on the reverse, Cardinals there to blow it up. Another killer turnover.
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) December 11, 2015
Why in the world would you run a trick play when you're moving the ball just fine? #vikingsplaycallwtf
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) December 11, 2015
3. Cardinals passing attack
Carson Palmer threw for 310 yards, the most by any quarterback against the Vikings so far this season. The veteran also tossed two touchdowns.
Michael Floyd makes the catch.
Larry Fitzgerald goes FULLBACK TRUCK STICK mode.
And Carson Palmer makes history. https://t.co/E1efVqnIvf— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2015
It certainly didn’t hurt that the Vikings gave two rookies their first career starts and had moved Terrence Newman to safety from his regular cornerback position.
Tweet of the Night:
Franken vs. McCain
Senator @alfranken + @SenJohnMcCain Face the Nation…
And make their case for the @Vikings and @AZCardinals. #TNF https://t.co/q6COxbXRYG
— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2015
Well, we guess McCain got the better of this one, but we’ll be back.
Up Next:
The Vikings host Chicago on Sunday Dec. 20 at TCF Bank Stadium.
