Getty Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins tries to get away from Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks on Sunday, September 19, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
As good as the Arizona Cardinals’ defense was a week ago in Tennessee, it was that bad to start the home-opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Arizona defense gave up a touchdown just 34 seconds into the game; they watched Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins do his best Kyler Murray impression with a three-TD first half; and they struggled to stop running back Dalvin Cook.
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That all changed when the Cardinals emerged from the locker room for the second half.
After giving up 23 points before halftime, Arizona limited Minnesota’s offense to just three points in the second half as the Cardinals improved to 2-0 with a 34-33 victory over the Vikings (0-2).
Despite the second-half turnaround, the Cardinals needed a missed 37-yard field goal from Vikings kicker Greg Joseph to escape with the victory Sunday, September 19.
“I thought we really adjusted well in the second half and slowed them down enough,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said after the game. “Offensively, we didn’t play great in the second half, but the defense kept us in it.”
Minnesota’s lone second-half touchdown came on the second play of the half when Vikings linebacker Nick Vigil stepped in front of a pass intended for rookie receiver Rondale Moore and returned the Murray interception 38 yards for a TD.
“We knew we took their best shot (in the first half) and it was going to be a dogfight,” Kingsbury told reporters after the game. “We wanted to come out and be physical (in the second half) and scrap and claw, and do whatever it took to win, and our guys pulled it off.”
‘Kyler Cousins’ Starts Strong for Vikings
Unlike Week 1 when they pressured and harassed Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, sacking him six times in the game, the Cardinals failed to generate much pressure on Cousins early. Linebacker Markus Golden had Arizona’s only sack against the Vikings on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Cousins torched the Cardinals for 150 yards on 13-of-15 passing in the first half and also showed some skills as a runner, extending plays with his feet for 35 rushing yards in the half — 30 coming on one play.
Cousins’ big first half had NFL Network “Red Zone” host Andrew Siciliano calling the Vikings QB “Kyler Cousins.”
Kyler Cousins.
Cousins finished the day with 244 yards on 22-of-32 passing, along with the three first-half touchdowns. Murray also had a huge first half, completing 15-of-17 passes for 229 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), with a passer rating of 158.
The Cardinals QB made a couple miscues in the second half, throwing two interceptions — including the pick-six. Still, his final numbers were impressive: 400 yards on 29-of-36 passing and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). He also ran for 31 yards on five carries.
Going ‘Jumbo’ to Stop Vikings RB Dalvin Cook
It was a much different story in the first half. The Vikings moved the ball easily early against the Cardinals and didn’t face a third down on their first three scoring drives.
Arizona’s inability to slow down Cook was a problem from the start. The Vikings running back picked up 11 yards up the middle on the first play of the game and finished the half with 96 yards on 13 carries, averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
After the big first half, Cook was held to just 35 yards the rest of the way to finish the game with 131 yards on 22 carries (6 yards per carry).
Safety Budda Baker said the Cardinals “went jumbo” in the second half, stacking the line of scrimmage with size and making stopping Cook the top priority.
“We got our big guys in there,” Baker said. “We did a much better job stopping the run (in the second half).”
The offensive fireworks for the Vikings started early. On the second play of the game, Cousins found receiver K.J. Osborn for a 64-yard touchdown on a play where Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. stopped — perhaps thinking he had safety help over the top — and left Osborn wide open for the score.
In the final minute of the first quarter, the Cardinals gave up another touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Cousins to Adam Thielen to give Minnesota a 14-7 lead after cornerback Marco Wilson slipped and fell in coverage. The TD pass capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive for the Vikings.
Wilson left the game in the second quarter with an apparent an ankle injury and didn’t return.
Thanks to a big first half from Murray and a 62-yard field goal from Matt Prater just before halftime, the Cardinals were able to keep pace with the Vikings and led 24-23 at the break.
While it took another field goal — Joseph’s miss — to decide the game, Arizona’s defense bounced back from the slow start and secured the home victory.