Week 6: Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings Recap

by
Former Writers
October 16, 2018

Brian Basham via Flickr

Vikings Continue To Stay Hot As They Secure A 27-17 Win

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-17 off another solid all-around performance.

Vikings Stay Aggressive In All Phases

The rushing attack was the story of the day. Latavius Murray was the lead man as he went off for 165 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Turning in big runs in critical moments to weaken the Cardinals’ defense. If the Vikings continue to push the run, they could be dangerous down the road.

Kirk Cousins also turned in a supportive performance. Going 24-34 with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown with one interception. The leading receiver was Adam Thielen who went 11-13 for 113 yards and a touchdown. He also had his sixth straight game with 100+ yards.

Throughout the game, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo got aggressive with the pass plays. At one point it cost his offense some momentum. But after the half, he dialed it back a bit and balanced it back out.

Vikings rushed the ball 24 times. That’s more than what they called in the last five games. Kirk Cousins is capable of carrying an offense, but the goal is to keep the pressure off him. The Vikings’ defense picked up where they left off last week. They constantly sent pressure at rookie quarterback Josh Rosen.

Although he looked unfazed, the defense registered four sacks and an interception. They never allowed David Johnson to find his footing one time. Anthony Barr forced a fumble early in the game which was recovered by Tom Johnson. They also forced a goal-line stand in the first quarter.

Danielle Hunter recorded two sacks. He’s quietly stepped up to become a leader for this defense. Which at one point has been in search for guidance with Everson Griffen being out.

Cardinals Defense Shows Up But The Offense Doesn’t

The Cardinals showed up defensively. As far as the pass rush goes, the front seven continues to impress. They batted the ball away from the LOS seven times. The Cardinals’ defense, led by Chandler Jones and Budda Baker created fits for the Vikings’ offense at times. Causing four sacks and an interception and a fumble returned for a touchdown. His unit will get better down the stretch.

Josh Rosen put up an average performance going 26-36 with one interception. He had no help from David Johnson, who ran for 55 yards and a touchdown. He’s been struggling early on as he’s been recovering from a torn ACL.

Christian Kirk and Ricky Seals-Jones were the main standouts for the Cardinals’ offense. They torched the Vikings’ defense for big plays.

The offense failed to convert a third down the entire day.

Injuries

The Cardinals took some huge losses throughout of the game. They lost Guards Mike Iupati and Justin Pugh early in the game. They didn’t return at all. Their status remains unknown.

Vikings lost rookie cornerback Mike Hughes went down late in the fourth quarter. Vikings fear they may have lost him for the remainder of the year.

Looking Ahead

The Vikings move to 3-2-1. They travel to New Jersey next Sunday to take on the New York Jets and the Cardinals fall to 1-5. They take on the Denver Broncos at home this Thursday.