ESPN NFL

Football Outsiders' Vince Verhei has put together an Insider piece suggesting the Cardinals appear built to exploit the Vikings' weaknesses.

The piece also points out how the Cardinals and Vikings are likely to face one another in the playoffs. Minnesota will almost certainly be the second seed in the NFC. Arizona has a good shot at the third seed.

"As a team, the Vikings have been stuffed for no gain or a loss on 25 percent of their carries, the highest figure in the league," Verhei writes. "They usually make up for that with plenty of long runs -- they've gained 27 percent of their rushing yards more than 10 yards downfield, a higher share than any team except Tennessee and San Francisco -- but their running game, while explosive, is terribly unreliable. That makes a matchup with Arizona particularly bad news, because the Cardinals are the NFL's best team at stuffing opposing runners, doing so on 27 percent of all carries. If that sounds like a recipe for disaster, it was -- Peterson was stuffed for no gain or a loss seven times in 13 carries Sunday night. His longest run of the night was 11 yards; his other 12 carries gained a total of 8 yards."

Also worth noting: Arizona might never have to venture outdoors during the playoffs. As the third seed, the Cardinals would play any postseason road game in the Metrodome or Superdome. The team keeps the roof closed at University of Phoenix Stadium in part because quarterback Kurt Warner likes it that way.

Thanks to sportsradiointerviews.com for passing along a partial transcript and audio link to Kurt Warner's recent conversation with XTRA910 in Phoenix.

There's some good stuff in there.

On a semi-related front, someone recently asked whether I could incorporate passer ratings into some of the personnel-related charting I do for all NFC West teams. If that was you, please raise your hand. I put together some formulas to make that happen.

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals' defense redeemed itself against Minnesota after allowing a 99-yard touchdown drive a week earlier. Darnell Dockett: "Yeah, but that bad thing about today is I'm anxious to watch the news because I'm pretty sure everybody's going to talk about what Brett Favre did wrong ... not about how our defense stood up."

Also from McManaman: Michael Adams' interception was a key play for Arizona.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic cannot remember a time when the Cardinals defeated a good opponent as thoroughly as they defeated the previously 10-1 Vikings. Somers: "It was interesting talking to some of the defensive players last week. I asked a few about what Brett Favre was doing differently this year, given he had been intercepted just three times. A handful of players told me Favre didn't look much different, that he was still taking chances with the ball and that his receivers were making great catches. I got the feeling the Cardinals felt like they could get to some passes. They did. They intercepted two and strong safety Adrian Wilson could have had two more. Not easy catches, but he could have made them."

Also from Somers: a game story noting that the Cardinals looked a lot like the team that advanced through the NFC playoffs.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals bounced back from their 2008 defeats to Brett Favre (then with the Jets) and the Vikings. Bickley: "The Cardinals had twice the motivation. They wanted a piece of Favre, who threw six touchdown passes against Arizona last season as a member of the Jets. They wanted a chunk of the Vikings, who punished the Cardinals in Glendale last season. The latter beating was so profound that Adrian Wilson placed a stat sheet from the game inside the trunk of his car, serving as a daily visual reminder."

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com offers postgame notes. He likes what Antrel Rolle offers in the Wildcat offense, although watching Rolle carry the ball so loosely made me think the play call could have resulted in disaster for Arizona.

Also from Urban: Adams would like Favre to autograph the football he intercepted.

More from Urban: Quarterback Kurt Warner walked with a limp after the game. The Vikings hit him in the hip on his final pass attempt. This was not the same hip Warner had surgically repaired during the offseason.

Don Banks of SI.com must be feeling pretty smart after writing a column coincidentally featuring the same headline that appeared on mine. Banks: "Near misses get you nowhere in the NFL, but the fact remains that Arizona is a 99-yard Vince Young-led drive away from being 9-3 at the moment, with five consecutive wins and eight victories in its past nine games. As is, its 7-2 since starting 1-2, and these Cardinals have really put things together. But until Sunday night, we really hadn't noticed, because the Saints were streaking to 12-0 and the Vikings were surging to 10-1 behind Favre's historic season."

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Do not anoint the New Orleans Saints or Minnesota Vikings quite yet.

The defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals played better than anyone in the conference Sunday. And as they proved last season, timing can be everything.

Their 30-17 victory Sunday night over the previously 10-1 Vikings reestablished Arizona as a legitimate threat to make another Super Bowl run. It also demonstrated how much the Cardinals have grown since last December, when the Vikings dominated them here and Arizona limped into the playoffs.

"We're learning a lot about ourselves as a team, but if we can continue to play like we did tonight, I'm excited about where we can go," coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

The Cardinals outperformed the Vikings in every important dimension: offense, defense, special teams, coaching, intelligence and overall orneriness.

Their postseason swagger was back.

Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell didn't even notice when Brett Favre tried to get in his face after Campbell rag-dolled the Vikings' quarterback during one of three Arizona sacks.

Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett slipped under Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson to bring down Adrian Peterson for a 5-yard loss in the third quarter (Peterson averaged 1.5 yards per attempt).

Jeremy Bridges, starting at left tackle for the first time in his career, typified the Cardinals' bravado. With a little help, Bridges improbably held the Vikings' Jared Allen without a sack. The Vikings might as well have had Jared from Subway trying to distract Kurt Warner with a foot-long Veggie Delite.

"Everybody to a man this week was talking about how great their defensive line was and how much pressure they could put on us," Whisenhunt said. "For us to be able to have no sacks tonight was really a tribute to our [offensive] line."

Bridges matched Allen syllable for syllable in a game-long exhibition of trash talking.

"It was one of the funnest games I've ever played in my life," Bridges said. "I'm hoarse right now. I ran my mouth the whole game."

The Cardinals' success in pass protection -- zero sacks in 32 pass attempts -- stood out as the single most surprising and pivotal development of the game. Right tackle Levi Brown, maligned ever since the Cardinals drafted him instead of Peterson, had a better game than the two-time Pro Bowl runner. But Bridges' success against Allen, who had two sacks during a 35-14 Vikings victory at Arizona last season, might have been more stunning.

"He started getting frustrated and he got a little corny with the things he was saying," Bridges said. "It got a little comical. He started to pout like a little baby, but that is to be expected. ... You have success and then you are not having it, you are going to be a little frustrated."

The Cardinals occasionally helped Bridges, leaving running back Tim Hightower to assist in protection. But there were other times when Bridges held up well enough for Warner to make big plays in the passing game. Warner, back in the lineup after missing six quarters because of a concussion, completed 22 of 32 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin combined for 15 receptions and 241 yards.

The Vikings had previously recorded at least one sack in 23 consecutive regular-season games.

Bridges called this his "Shawshank Redemption" after the Washington Redskins released him when reducing their roster to 53 players.

"[Allen] said he didn't know my name," Bridges added. "I said, 'You'll know by the end of the game because they're going to say it a whole lot on ESPN.' "

Another surprise: The Cardinals averaged 8.3 yards per attempt on 10 carries from their one-back, double-tight end offense. They didn't have to spread the field or resort to gimmicks in generating yards on the ground. They finished with 25 rushes for 113 yards, with Hightower breaking a 32-yard run.

As impressive as the Cardinals were on offense, their defense and special teams were at least as good. Steve Breaston's 64-yard punt return was pivotal early. Arizona also pressured Favre into his fourth and fifth interceptions of the season. Strong safety Adrian Wilson probably should have had at least one more pick.

The Cardinals felt as though Favre was still taking chances this season, contrary to conventional wisdom. His receivers' ability to make plays on the football was the primary difference in Favre's revival, their thinking went.

Only a garbage-time touchdown pass while the Vikings trailed 30-10 prevented Favre from finishing with more interceptions than touchdowns.

The Cardinals needed a strong showing on defense after watching the Titans march 99 yards for the winning touchdown against them in Week 12. They got two sacks from Bertrand Berry and improved play from Alan Branch and the other nose tackles.

"We don't always get it right," Whisenhunt said, "but a lot of times when something happens to us, we respond in the correct way."

That's probably bad news for the San Francisco 49ers. They surprised the Cardinals in the season opener, 20-16, but Arizona can clinch its second consecutive NFC West title by beating the 49ers at Candlestick Park in the Monday night game next week.

Anyone who watched the Cardinals against Minnesota would have to like their chances -- in Week 14 and beyond.

The NFC West stage isn't big enough for the Cardinals when they play like this.

Arizona looked like a Super Bowl contender Sunday.

Kurt Warner's ability to play at an MVP-caliber level after missing six quarters to a concussion makes everything right for the Cardinals. Warner took a hit on the Cardinals' first play. He shook it off and threw three first-half touchdown passes on the way to a 30-17 victory.

Receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston haven't looked this good together in a while. They overwhelmed the Vikings secondary, finding openings when tackles Levi Brown and Jeremy Bridges held up better in protection than anyone could have expected. The Vikings' inability to get consistent pressure on Warner stood out as the most surprising and pivotal development for both teams.

This was a statement game for Arizona. The Cardinals were more physical. Their defensive line won individual matchups, including when Darnell Dockett slipped under Steve Hutchinson to make a tackle in the backfield. Getting 2 sacks from Bertrand Berry was a bonus.

They are 8-4 and leading the NFC West by three games.

The 49ers went into Week 13 thinking they could beat the Seahawks, then possibly overtake Arizona with a victory over the Cardinals in Week 14. The thinking seemed somewhat plausible, or at least defensible at the time. The Cardinals' performance against Minnesota made those thoughts seem laughable in retrospect.

When the Cardinals are right, there isn't another team in the division close to their level.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Vikings surely wish cornerback Antoine Winfield were healthy enough to play for them Sunday night.

The Cardinals' receivers are having their way on intermediate routes. Arizona's ability to hold up in pass protection is putting the Vikings' secondary in a further bind.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Karlos Dansby's interception against Brett Favre highlights a key difference for the Cardinals this week.

Dansby's injury-related absence during the Titans' winning 99-yard drive last week hurt the Cardinals. Inside linebacker Gerald Hayes, a run defender, replaced him.

Favre is taking chances in this game. Adrian Wilson had two passes in his hands, but could not hold on. Dansby held on. The Cardinals have to like their chances.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals are faring better than OK in some of the matchups I thought might favor Minnesota.

The speed Steve Breaston offers the offense has made a big difference. He looks healthier than he was earlier in the season. Anquan Boldin is also making a statement on a national stage. That 39-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown was All-Pro caliber.

This would be a statement victory for the Cardinals if they could beat the Vikings.

Arizona has helped left tackle Jeremy Bridges in protection against Jared Allen, a wise move.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Both starting tackles are back on the field for Minnesota after missing time following injuries.

Phil Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie should help the Vikings run their offense with fewer limitations.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Offensive linemen keep falling.

The Vikings have lost right tackle Phil Loadholt to a shoulder injury. His return is questionable. The Cardinals, already without left tackle Mike Gandy, briefly lost right guard Deuce Lutui, who returned for the next series.

Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie just left the game. Not sure if it's serious, but three of the four projected starting tackles in this game are not playing.

Not having both starting tackles could give the Cardinals' pass-rushers a needed edge.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Tim Hightower's lost fumble on the Cardinals' first possession against Minnesota set up the Vikings for their first touchdown.

The Cardinals are 19-1 under Ken Whisenhunt, counting playoffs, when they win the turnover battle. They are 2-17 when they lose the turnover battle and 6-2 when turnovers are even.

Update: Steve Breaston's long punt return might have bailed out Hightower.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Looks like a few Minnesotans wintering in Arizona found tickets to the Vikings-Cardinals game.

There's lots of purple here at University of Phoenix Stadium. Fans are cheering loudly as the Vikings run onto the field.

Guessing percentages is tough. I might be conservative in saying at least 25 percent of the crowd appears to be supporting the Vikings.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals named starting left tackle Mike Gandy inactive against the Vikings.

Jeremy Bridges gets the start. Arizona should be better with a healthy Bridges than they might have been with a diminished Gandy, who is suffering from a pelvic injury.

I'll be watching to see if the Cardinals help their tackles in protection. It's not something they do very often.

The Cardinals had started the same five offensive linemen since the start of last season.

The headline seemed rather innocuous.

"Three potential problems for Cardinals," it read.

Facebook friend Keith wasn't having it.

"Let's see three potential problems the Cards might pose for the Vikings," he shot back, "not always these cup half-full downer posts."

OK, OK. I get it. Cardinals fans must be getting a little nervous with Kurt Warner seeking medical help and the 10-1 Vikings returning to the scene of their 35-14 victory over Arizona last season.

Keith and other citizens of Cardinal Nation could probably use some affirmation.

They've come to the right place.

(Read full post)

The Cardinals' Week 13 game against the Vikings has been flexed into the 8:20 p.m. ET slot on NBC.

This comes as no surprise.

The game was previously scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET.

The change allows NBC to bask in the Brett Favre ratings bonanza. It also reflects the Cardinals' increased relevance.