Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings: Second Quarter Open Thread

To get things started in Week 6 action against the Arizona Cardinals, the Minnesota Vikings won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, giving the visiting team the football first. Dan Bailey’s kickoff was fielded at the goal line by Brandon Williams, and he could only return it to the 16 to set up the Cardinals’ first drive.

The Cardinals couldn’t generate anything offensively, with Rosen’s pass for Larry Fitzgerald on third down falling incomplete for a three-and-out. Andy Lee came on to punt it away for Arizona, and the returning Marcus Sherels took the punt to the Minnesota 31.

Kirk Cousins led the Vikings’ offense out onto the field, and immediately hit Laquon Treadwell on a pair of passes to get the ball to midfield. A short pass to Kyle Rudolph and a run by Latavius Murray set up the Vikings’ first third down situation of the afternoon, and Cousins’ pass was knocked down by Benson Mayowa, and the Vikings elected to go on 4th-and-2 from the Arizona 42. Cousins’ pass was once again deflected, this time by Corey Peters, and it went right back into his hands. Cousins tried to get the first down, but was stopped short, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Arizona picked up a first down on a short screen from Rosen to fellow rookie Christian Kirk to move themselves into Minnesota territory at the 46. Rosen and Kirk then connected again, as the pair connected on a pass that Kirk took down to the Minnesota 11-yard line, a 35-yard gain. The Vikings’ defense stiffened and got a stop, forcing the Cardinals to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Phil Dawson. Dawson connected, and the visitors took an early 3-0 lead.

The kickoff from Dawson went through the end zone for a touchback, giving the purple a start at their own 25-yard line on their second possession. Cousins immediately went back to work, hitting Adam Thielen for the first time on the day for a 15-yard gain and a first down. Latavius Murray then broke off the Vikings’ best run play of the year, rambling for 26 yards into Cardinals’ territory at the 34. Kyle Rudolph was then flagged for a false start, but Cousins went back to Thielen for nine more yards. The Vikings got a little tricky, as Stefon Diggs took a handoff to the 21-yard line for a first down.

Cousins then had another pass knocked down, so they turned back to Murray, and he finished the drive. He took a handoff from Cousins and blasted through the line, rambling 21 yards for the Vikings’ first rushing touchdown of the season. Dan Bailey added the extra point, and the home team found themselves up 7-3.

Bailey’s kickoff went through the end zone, putting the Cardinals on their own 25 to start their third possession of the afternoon. On the Cardinals’ first play of the drive, David Johnson got a nice run, but was stripped by Anthony Barr! Sebastian Thunderbucket, Tom Johnson fell on the loose ball, and the Vikings were in business at the Arizona 31.

Murray got the call on first down for a short gain, and then Tom Compton was flagged for a false start. Cousins got the yardage back, connecting with Diggs down to the Arizona 17 for a first down. Cousins was then sacked by Corey Peters to set the offense back a bit, and then Roc Thomas was taken down for a loss by Chandler Jones to make it third-and-long. Cousins completed one to Treadwell, but didn’t get anywhere close to the first down, and the Vikings called on Bailey again. His 37-yard attempt got just inside the right upright, and the home team extended their lead to 10-3.

Bailey’s kickoff went through the end zone for a touchback once again. Two short runs by David Johnson set the Cardinals up with 3rd-and-6, and Rosen was taken down on a blitz by a combination of Mackensie Alexander and Anthony Harris for a three-and-out! Andy Lee came on to punt again, and Sherels was ruled down at the 31-yard line.

As we move to the second quarter of play, the Vikings are looking at 2nd-and-1 from their own 40-yard line.

After one quarter of play, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 10-3, and they’re looking for more. Come on in and join us for the second quarter of action!