Cardinals hold on, clinch playoff berth

A strip-sack of Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater by Cardinals outside linebacker Dwight Freeney with five seconds remaining helped seal the win after Minnesota had moved into field-goal range.

Arizona Cardinals strong safety Tony Jefferson, center, celebrates with Calais Campbell, right, after stopping Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, left, in the 4th quarter of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec 10, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. Arizona just had to take one kneel-down after the turnover to run out the clock.

A shaky win over Minnesota clinched a playoff berth for the Arizona Cardinals.

Carson Palmer threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals, who will claim the National Football Conference West title if the Seattle Seahawks are beaten in Baltimore, Maryland, tomorrow. Twelve different Cardinals have at least one sack, but none have more than Freeney’s four.

“It’s amusing because I spun three times on that series”, he said.

“Game on!” both men seemed to say with their eyes. “We played with the heart and the desire and the fight and all of those things that I want, but we turned the ball over three times”.

The victory was the second in five days for the Cardinals, who beat the Rams 27-3 in St. Louis on Sunday. “We don’t know where or when, but we’re in”. Fitzgerald caught 71 passes for 798 yards and only four touchdowns in 2012, with his touchdown and yardage totals the lowest since his 2004 rookie season.

Johnson’s longest run of the night was 24 yards, which was originally ruled 26 and a touchdown before it was overturned on review. Franken, who kept calling McCain his “close” and “good” friend, delivered the opening jab, noting the Cards lost the only Super Bowl they’ve ever been to.

Notes: Arians said he hopes to have tight end Jermaine Gresham (knee), cornerback Jerraud Powers (calf) and defensive tackle Frostee Rucker (ankle) back for the Eagles.

After the break, the Cardinals were able to get back on top with a 42-yard TD pass from Palmer to Michael Floyd. “It was great awareness”.

For most of the evening, the Minnesota offense managed to keep the sticks moving with big plays in the passing game (six receptions of 20 yards or more) while Adrian Peterson grinded away on the ground.

This brings us to the Packers and Vikings, two 8 win teams. They’re awesome, he noted, and you have to cherish moments like that and enjoy them.

“Overspend on defense? I think we’ve heard that before from my very good friend – and he is a very good friend”, Franken fired back.

Watt broke his left hand in practice on Wednesday, but said he’ll play Sunday. “That’s what we brought him here to get pressure on the plays he plays”. Palmer on the next play executed a kneel down and the game was done.

-WR Brittan Golden sustained a concussion while playing on the punt team and he did not return to the game.

The Arizona Cardinals won their seventh straight and joined the Carolina Panthers in the post-season Thursday by holding off the depleted Minnesota Vikings for a 23-20 win Thursday.