Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings: First quarter recap and second quarter discussion

We’ve made it through the first quarter of action at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis with your Minnesota Vikings leading the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 7-3.

Arizona won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota offense the football first. The Vikings ran it quite a bit early and then opened things up with a big pass from Cousins to Justin Jefferson to get the ball near the Cardinals’ red zone. Then, on a 3rd-and-4 from the Arizona 17, Cousins got on the engine and ran it into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown run to give the Vikings an early 7-0 lead.

Former Cardinal Patrick Peterson started the first defensive series for the Vikings by getting called for a horse collar tackle to help move Arizona along. The Cardinals’ drive ended with a 44-yard field goal attempt from long-time Vikings’ nemesis Matt Prater, which split the uprights and cut the Minnesota lead to 7-3.

Minnesota got a big play on their first third down of the next drive, a 30-yard run by Dalvin Cook (some of which was taken away by a taunting penalty on. . .Garrett Bradbury) to get into Arizona territory. The Vikings found themselves facing a 4th-and-1 from the Arizona 38 and elected to go for it, but Cousins’ pass for Adam Thielen fell incomplete for a turnover on downs.

Arizona crossed midfield on their next possession, but the drive ended on a sack by Za’Darius Smith, who “roped the calf” in tribute to today’s Ring of Honor inductee, Jared Allen. As we hit the second quarter, the Cardinals are looking at 4th-and-15 from their own 46 and will punt it away.

We’ve made it through the first quarter in Minneapolis, and the Vikings lead the Cardinals by a score of 7-3. Come join us for the second quarter of play, folks!