Arizona Cardinals Lose 30-28 to Minnesota Vikings
By Scott Allen
Aug 16, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer (20) celebrates with offensive lineman Jared Veldheer (68) after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
It’s very difficult to choose where to begin with this one but the start of the game is a good as place as any but in the end the Arizona Cardinals lost a wild, weird game to the Minnesota Vikings 30-28 Saturday night at TCF Stadium. The easiest thing to say about this one was the Cards starters looked good and the backups not so much.
Quarterback Carson Palmer looked alright but not as good as last week. He went 4-8 for 91 yards but one of those four completions was a 51-yard catch and beautiful run by receiver Jaron Brown. It set up a 1-yard run by running back Jonathan Dwyer. After that though, the first team defense was not as sharp as last week. They held the Vikings in the first series but they allowed a field goal on the second drive, the first points given up in the preseason by the Cards.
The Vikings look like they have a nice quarterback competition going with the play of Matt Cassel and rookie Teddy Bridgewater. They both played pretty well. Cassel went 12-16 for 153 yards and a touchdown. Bridgewater gave Vikings fans what they wanted, a possible look at the future of the Vikings. He went 16-20 for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
The good: Cardinals first and second string offense. Palmer was pretty good. Dwyer looked decent. Jaron Brown was great with two catches for 86 yards. I think he secured his spot on the team.
The bad: Jay Feely. Unfortunately he did not get a chance to try any field goals, although it looked like they could have given him an opportunity late in the game a couple of times but instead went for it on fourth down. He was not getting his kickoffs deep though. It may end up being his undoing.
The ugly: The ending of the game. The Cards fumbled the snap on fourth and goal and there was a mad scramble for the ball that running back Zach Bauman ended up scooping up and taking into the end zone for a 28-24 lead with just over a minute left. The defense though allowed Bridgewater to take his offense right down the field and score the game-winning touchdown with just 18 seconds left in the game. Also, tackle Bradley Sowell. He had three false start penalties against him, all at inopportune times.
In the end the Cards lose a game that doesn’t count but certainly left us all a lot to look at when it comes to who or who won’t make this team. I think there are several guys that sealed their fate this evening with their less than stellar performances.