Arizona Cardinals MVP: Week 2 vs. the Minnesota Vikings
By Reese Furlow
Kyler Murray finished 29-of-36 for 400 yards and three touchdowns for the Arizona Cardinals in a 34-33 win against the Minnesota Vikings.
It was not the prettiest victory, but Kyler Murray led the Arizona Cardinals to their second win of the 2021 season after scoring four total touchdowns on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings managed to keep the game close, however, two Murray interceptions in the third quarter put Minnesota in a position to score, which the team capitalized on.
Still, Murray was the determining factor in Arizona’s win on Sunday, connecting with Rondale Moore, DeAndre Hopkins, and A.J. Green for six. Hopkins’ touchdown was his third of the season, which was the first time since 2016 where a Cardinals receiver had three touchdowns through the first two games.
Moore was Arizona’s leading receiver, going for a career-high 114 yards on seven receptions, with his longest reception going for 77 yards. Cardinals tight end Maxx Williams also had a big game, where he caught seven passes for 94 yards.
One player people were expecting to have a bigger game, however, was Hopkins, who was covered by Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson for most of the game. Hopkins was held to just four receptions to 54 yards, all of which came in the first quarter.
Despite the up and down game for Murray, his rushing touchdown in the second quarter set the franchise record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in Cardinals history with 17, which was previously held by Jim Hart.
Defense struggles for Arizona Cardinals in win over Minnesota Vikings
After only allowing 13 points to the Tennessee Titans in the first week of the 2021 season, Arizona gave up 33 to the Vikings on Sunday.
Three touchdowns in the first quarter from Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins put the Cardinals down 20-7, heading into the second quarter.
Must Read. Why Kyler Murray can have a breakout year like Josh Allen. light
After Arizona headed into halftime with a 24-23 lead, the game was back and forth, with both teams scoring twice before Vikings kicker Greg Joseph missed the game-winning field goal as time expired.