Vikings top Cardinals 23-22 for 5th straight win
MINNEAPOLIS — Sam Darnold's second touchdown pass of the second half went to Aaron Jones for Minnesota's first lead with 1:13 left, and the Vikings rallied from 13 points down to beat the Arizona Cardinals 23-22 on Sunday for their fifth straight victory.
Darnold went 21 for 31 for 235 yards while being sacked five times by the blitz-heavy Cardinals, who kept the Vikings (10-2) out of the end zone until Darnold hit Johnny Mundt with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter.
Kyler Murray threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter to spoil what had been a stellar performance by the Cardinals (6-6), who fell into second place in the NFC West behind Seattle.
Jonathan Greenard poked the ball out of Murray's hand on second down for Minnesota's first sack of the game with 48 seconds to go, and Greenard chased down Murray on the next play for a 3-yard gain in bounds to force Arizona to use its second timeout.
The Vikings then swarmed Murray in the pocket on fourth down, forcing a desperation heave that Shaquill Griffin picked off. Earlier, Murray's risky fling on third down under pressure was intercepted by Byron Murphy at the Minnesota 32, setting up the Vikings for a third field goal by Parker Romo.
Justin Jefferson had seven receptions for 99 yards for the Vikings, including an underneath catch on fourth-and-6 from the Arizona 34 that kept the winning drive alive.
The Vikings stayed one game behind Detroit in the NFC North by scoring on their final three full possessions, totaling 187 yards on 23 plays over those three drives.
The Cardinals led only 9-6 at halftime despite racking up 228 yards on offense, favoring conservative play-calling once they reached scoring range.
Multiple mistakes by Murray
Murray was flagged for intentional grounding under heavy pressure on a first-and-goal pass from the 10, giving the Vikings the critical opening they needed to hold the Cardinals to a fourth field goal by Chad Ryland for the six-point lead with 3:20 to go.
The 16-play drive, leaning heavily on the sure-handed Trey McBride, took 7:48 off the clock. McBride, who came into the week with the second-most yardage among NFL tight ends, had 12 catches for 95 yards.
Throwing with a purpose
Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the five-time Pro Bowl pick and 13-year veteran who has galvanized the pass coverage this season, departed in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. His replacement, Fabian Moreau, was frequently targeted by Murray.
In the third quarter, Moreau took two pass-interference penalties for 51 yards and was beaten by Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown pass that put the Cardinals up 19-6.
The ball is loose
Jones fumbled on the first play of each of Minnesota's first two drives. Brian O'Neill fell on the first one after a short carry, but Arizona's Roy Lopez recovered the second one after Sean Murphy-Bunting punched the ball out following a short catch at the Minnesota 19. Ryland missed a 45-yard try after two penalties pushed Arizona back.
Jones lost a fumble at the Chicago 1-yard line to end the opening drive last week, and he dropped the ball on a toss sweep play at Tennessee the week before that was charged as a lost fumble to Darnold.
Injury report
Cardinals: DL Darius Robinson, the first-round draft pick who'd been sidelined all season by a calf injury, was cleared for his NFL debut.
Vikings: TE Josh Oliver (ankle) missed his second straight game.
Up next
The Cardinals host Seattle next Sunday.
The Vikings host Atlanta next Sunday.