Dec 14th 2008 8:10PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: AZ Cardinals, Vikings, NFC North, NFC West
It was 21-0 before an eye was even blinked.
The Arizona Cardinals, fresh off clinching their first division title in ages, had the chance to prove they belonged in the playoffs as more than the beneficiary of a pathetic division. They failed miserably. In fact, they embarrassed themselves in the first quarter.
Offensively, they just couldn’t get anything going until it was too late. They still only ended up scoring one offensive touchdown against a normally vulnerable Minnesota secondary. Kurt Warner ended up throwing for 270 yards, but an early interception and generally looking awful in the first half pretty much eliminated his chances at an MVP season.
The implications of this game for Arizona aren’t huge on the surface, but their confidence surely has to be shaken. The only quality team they’ve defeated all season is the Dallas Cowboys, who aren’t near as strong as they were once thought to be.
For the Vikings, this was a huge victory for them, as they now have a commanding grasp on the NFC North. Because of advantageous tiebreakers over the Bears, they’d have to lose their last two games while the Bears won their two in order to not make the playoffs.Continue Reading
