Vikings use two 100-yard returns to hold off Cardinals

Vikings lead series, 13-11.

FITZGERALD THEATER: Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will play in his home city for the fifth time in his 13-year career.

To say the Minnesota Vikings season has been a roller coaster is a bit of an understatement. One came when T.J. Clemmings was beaten for a sack by Chandler Jones midway through the fourth quarter, and Bradford lost a fumble at his 27. The Cards are now behind five teams in the Wild Card standings and have games on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks left on their schedule that will present significant challenges for a team that appears to be on the decline despite their recent success in the NFC West. He might never be the receiver Minnesota imagined it was getting in the first round out of Tennessee, but when added to a corps that includes Thielen, Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph, he can be a weapon when used in spots correctly.

Arizona falls to 4-5-1, greatly damaging their post-season hopes.

Business this week, for both teams, will be trying to stay in the playoff race.

John Brown’s 32-yard punt return put the Cardinals in excellent position, but the Vikings fired up their pass rush and quickly forced a punt.

Patterson is one of the league’s premier return men, but even with that confidence he knows the home run chances will be few and far between with the rate at which teams can boom kicks into the end zone. He only needs 17 catches to leapfrog Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison into third place behind kind Rice (1,549).

Minnesota parted with embattled kicker Blair Walsh and signed Kai Forbath. “I’ve got a couple friends in town and I told them it’s going to be a good game for me”. Left guard Alex Boone asked to play left tackle.

Follow along as we bring you live updates and analysis from the game from kickoff through the final whistle in the comments section below.

The Vikings and Cardinals are still alive in the playoff hunt, no matter the loser. Yet he was not to get anything going in the second half, as the Redskins’ Preston Smith took control of him, sacking him twice and making a key interception with a little over five minutes to play.

Scoring on defense, scoring on special teams.whatever it took, the Vikings did it to snap their four-game losing streak.

Carson Palmer, still in full pads and uniform, sat motionless in front of his cubicle deep inside Minnesota’s stadium long after another disheartening defeat.

Brian Hoyer and Connor Shaw, two Browns castoffs, are now on the Bears injured reserve list and Hoyer will be a free agent after this season.

2016 is not the Cardinals’ year. He also has a start at left guard. Forbath was three of four PATs on the game with the block. But the Vikings did win, 30-24, and Joseph had four tackles, so he clearly suffered no harm from the hit. Mathieu missed last week’s game with the injury.

Minnesota – Out: DT Sharrif Floyd (knee). Cornerback and punt returner Marcus Sherels and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn are listed as questionable for the noon kickoff.

Not a good recipe for a Cardinals victory. Check them out, starting with Rhodes’ franchise record 100-yard interception return touchdown. Fitzgerald’s single-game career high in yards (172) was in Minnesota on November 26, 2006. Cordarrelle Patterson is one of the biggest benefactors of the quick pass, catching 4 passes for 53 yards.

Bell finished with a season-high 146 yards rushing. This year, he is one of four Vikings with at least 30 catches.

CINCINNATI – LeSean McCoy ran 7 yards for a touchdown before suffering a thumb injury, for the Bills (5-5), who had lost three straight heading into their bye week.

When the schedule came out, this was a game many circled as a big NFC interdivision duel.

Hoyer is a career journeyman on his sixth National Football League club in eight seasons.