--The Vikings suffered one of their most gut-wrenching losses in franchise history at Arizona on Dec. 28, 2003. Needing only one victory to win the NFC North, the Vikings held the lead and had the Cardinals facing a fourth-and-25 late in their regular-season finale at Sun Devil Stadium. But wide receiver Nathan Poole caught quarterback Josh McCown's desperation 28-yard pass in the end zone as time expired to give the Cardinals an 18-17 victory. The loss knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers recorded a 31-3 victory over Denver that day and won the division.
--The Vikings beat the Cardinals, 30-14, in a divisional playoff game on Dec. 21, 1974 at Metropolitan Stadium en route to a Super Bowl berth. After knocking off the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game, the Vikings lost, 16-6, to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl IX. The Vikings also beat the Cardinals, 41-21, in a divisional playoff game on Jan. 10, 1999. That improved the Vikings record to 16-1 on the season. However, the next week they were upset by Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game.
--DT Kevin Williams had a career-high 10 tackles, three sacks, intercepted the first pass of his career and forced a fumble in the final game of his rookie season on Dec. 28, 2003 against the Cardinals. Williams earned NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for December that year.
--RB Chester Taylor rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries and had three receptions for 35 yards against the Cardinals on Nov. 26, 2006. That was Taylor's first season with the Vikings.
--K Ryan Longwell has had some of the best games of his 12-year career against the Cardinals, all coming while he was playing for the Green Bay Packers. Longwell recorded career-highs in points (17) and field goals (five) on Sept. 24, 2000 at Arizona and attempted and made a career-high seven PATs on Jan. 2, 2000 against the Cardinals at Lambeau Field.
--S Darren Sharper had an interception and a career-high six passes broken up against former Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer on Sept. 24, 2000 while playing for the Green Bay Packers.
--The Vikings have won six of the past seven games and eight of the 10 between these teams since the Cardinals franchise moved from St. Louis to Arizona in 1988.
BY THE NUMBERS: 82 -- Rushing yards per game running back Adrian Peterson has to average in the final three games to reach 3,000 in his first two seasons. Only four players have accomplished the feat.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "No, I don't think you could possibly. You have to have a really vivid imagination. I'm not talking about the sack portion. I'm talking about cut up in the locker room, personality, etc." -- Coach Brad Childress on whether or not he envisioned Jared Allen's outgoing personality when the Vikings acquired the Pro Bowl defensive end from Kansas City.
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