Turnovers, penalties cost Arizona Cardinals in thriller against Minnesota Vikings

The Arizona Cardinals take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in a Week 8 NFL game in Minneapolis. 

Follow our updates on the game.

The Arizona Cardinals were within scoring range, but back-to-back sacks on quarterback Kyler Murray ended the game and gave the Minnesota Vikings a 34-26 win on Sunday.

The Cardinals had a final possession that began just after the 2-minute warning. It got off to a slow start, but was bolstered by a pass interference call against the Vikings when DeAndre Hopkins was held. With the ball their own 35, Murray found tight end Zach Ertz in the middle near midfield for a first down.

A personal foul backed the Cardinals before Murray found Hopkins for a 24-yard gain that moved Arizona up to the Minnesota 37.

That set up the sack of Murray.

Murray finished the game 31-for-44 passing for 326 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He added 36 yards on six carries to lead Arizona's ground game.

Hopkins had 12 catches for 159 yards an a touchdown. He dropped just one of his targets.

Kirk Cousins was 24-for-36 passing for 232 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings. Dalvin Cook had 20 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown.

Budda Baker led Arizona with 10 tackles and Isaiah Simmons had five tackles and a sack, which resulted in a fumble that he recovered. J.J. Watt had two sacks.

Coming up short

Needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game, the Arizona Cardinals went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Minnesota 44. 

Kyler Murray completed a short pass to Eno Benjamin, who fought his way for three yards. 

On the two previous plays, Cardinals receivers Greg Dortch and DeAndre Hopkins dropped balls that hit their hands. 

The turnover on downs gave the ball back to the Vikings at their own 44 with 2:45 to play.

Cardinals give it back (twice)

With just under 11 minutes to play, the Minnesota Vikings were forced to punt.

It worked out quite nicely for them as Greg Dortch muffed the catch and the ball was recovered by the Vikings at the Arizona 25. 

The Vikings needed to three plays to get back to the end zone. Kirk Cousins completed a 5-yard pass to K.J. Osborn for the score. However, the Vikings missed the extra point to keep it a one-possession game. 

Arizona made quick progress and looked to even the score. Kyler Murray completed passes to Rondale Moore (11 yards) and DeAndre Hopkins (17 yards) before a throw intended to tight end Zach Ertz was intercepted by Camryn Bynum at the Minnesota 36. 

The Vikings weren't able to make anything of that gift from the Cardinals and punted it back to Arizona.

Score: Vikings 34, Cardinals 26 (4:43 fourth)

Cardinals take it away

Isaiah Simmons sacked Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and forced a fumble, then recovered it to put the Cardinals back in position to take the lead. 

Simmons has four tackles in the game. 

After a penalty against the Vikings, the Cardinals faced a first down at the Minnesota 24. 

The Cardinals were only able to get a field goal out of the turnover, however. On third-and-8 from the Minnesota 11, the Cardinals took a 5-yard loss when the ball was snapped a Kyler Murray, who was obviously not ready to receive it as he was turned toward the sideline. Murray fell on the ball to prevent a turnover, but the loss was enough to keep the Cardinals from attempting a fourth-down conversion.

Score: Vikings 28, Cardinals 26 (12:32 fourth)

Walking into the end zone

Rondale Moore walked in for a touchdown at the end of a 38-yard play to make it a one-score game. 

Moore broke at least one tackle after the catch. 

The drive centered around Moore, who also caught a 27-yard pass from Kyler Murray. 

The Cardinals attempted a two-point conversion, but a pass to DeAndre Hopkins was incomplete. The Cardinals are 5-for-8 on two-point conversion attempts this season. 

Hopkins has eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Score: Vikings 28, Cardinals 23 (2:27 third)

Quick response

The Arizona Cardinals had the lead for a little more than 3 minutes before Minnesota retook it. 

The Vikings capped their eight-play, 75 yard drive with a touchdown run by Alexander Mattison. The drive featured passes of 18 yards, 29 yards and 11 yards by Kirk Cousins. 

Cousins is 17-for-27 for 179 yards and one touchdown. 

Arizona  looked to go deep on its next possession, but couldn't execute. 

On the first play, Kyler Murray threw a pass deep to the middle of the field, but it was easily intercepted by Harrison Smith, who returned it 15 yards to the Arizona 31.

That turnover led to another quick score by the Vikings. 

Dalvin Cook ran the ball 4 yards up the middle a touchdown. The possession lasted just four plays as the Vikings went from trailing briefly to scoring two touchdowns in 1:40. 

Score: Vikings 28, Cardinals 17 (4:07 third)

Ertz showing skills

Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz extended a play all the way to the end zone for a go-ahead score. 

Ertz caught a short pass from Kyler Murray and fought his way up the left sideline. Ertz extended the ball to the pylon and struck it just before his left foot came down out of bounds. Andy Lee's point after put the Cardinals up 17-14. 

The touchdown was set up by a 33-yard pass from Murray to DeAndre Hopkins. 

Score: Cardinals 17, Vikings 14 (9:01 third)

Mighty Mouse?

Fox broadcasters referred to Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray as "Mighty Mouse" early in the third quarter after he high stepped at the end of a scramble to avoid a tackle. 

Murray, at a generous 5-foot-10, might have looked like a scampering mouse escaping the Vikings defense. Cardinals fans are hoping he shows off the mighty part before long as the teams is trailing 14-10.

While a member of the Cardinals in 2020, Patrick Peterson called his then-teammate Mighty Mouse during a media call. 

The Cardinals opened the second half with the ball, but were forced to punt after a series of penalties. 

The Vikings begin their series at their own 25 with 12:09 to play in the third. 

At the half...

The Minnesota Vikings lead the Arizona Cardinals 14-10 at the half. 

The score isn't the only stat that favors the home team. 

The Vikings have more first downs (16-11) and total yards (249-139) and fewer penalties. 

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is 14-for-21 for 115 yards and a touchdown. He adds another 21 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Dalvin Cook has nine carries for 80 yards. 

Meanwhile, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is 11-for-14 for 96 yards and a touchdown. He adds another 24 yards on three carries. His leading receiving target has been DeAndre Hopkins who has caught all five of his targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. 

What a grab

DeAndre Hopkins made a one-handed grab in the end zone to give the Cardinals a touchdown late in the first half. 

The play came on third-and-2 from the Vikings 6. Kyler Murray threw to a covered up Hopkins in the middle of the end zone. Hopkins extended one hand to pull the ball in. Matt Prater added the point after. 

Murray scrambled for 8 yards on the previous play to set up the touchdown. On the drive, Eno Benjamin took a direct snap and ran for 7 yards. Murray also completed passes of 13 and 16 yards to Hopkins

Score: Vikings 14, Cardinals 10 (0:47, second)

Getting it done

The Vkings used nine plays to go 83 yards and take a 14-3 lead over the Arizona Cardinals midway through the second quarter. 

Kirk Cousins finished the drive with a 1-yard pass to Johnny Mundt. 

The drive began after a punt by the Cardinals. After the touchdown, Arizona again had a short series. Just seven plays and 26 yards, the possession ended with another Cardinals put. The upside was that the Vikings were pinned inside their own 5 after a solid punt from Andy Lee and a holding penalty against Minnesota. 

The Vikings had the ball just over 2 minutes before punting it away themselves. Arizona takes over on its down 28 after a 59-yard punt by Minnesota. 

Score: Vikings 14, Cardinals 3 (3:50 second)

Defensive stop

The Cardinals defense came up big on consecutive plays by halting the Vikings on third-and-2 and again on fourth-and-2. The Vikings were at the Arizona 38.

On third down, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins had room to run for the first down, but elected to throw at the last second. His pass sailed high and over the head of a leaping Justin Jefferson. After a Cardinals timeout — their second of the first quarter — Cousins attempted a fourth-down pass to Adam Thielen which fell incomplete.

 The Cardinals took over on downs with 3:13 to play in the first. 

For kicks: New Arizona Cardinals kicker Rodrigo Blankenship proud of his Legos, shoes and glasses

More: Arizona Cardinals' run game continues to progress despite relying on backups

An old friend

The Cardinals got some help from Patrick Peterson, who spent 10 seasons with Arizona before signing with Minnesota as a free agent in 2021. Peterson was flagged for a horse collar tackle. The 15-yard penalty was assessed on the Cardinals first offensive play. 

Peterson made up for the gaff a few players later when he batted away a would-be touchdown pass from Kyler Murray on third-and-7 at the Minnesota 26. 

The Cardinals settled for a 44-yard field goal from Matt Prater on the drive. 

Score: Vikings 7, Cardinals 3 (6:04 first)

Vikings strike first

Kirk Cousins scrambled 17 yards for a touchdown that put the Minnesota Vikings up 7-0 with 10:09 left in the first quarter. It was the 17th rushing touchdown on his career.

Cousins also completed one pass to Justin Jefferson for 28 yards on the drive. Minnesota received the opening kickoff, so the Cardinals will now begin their first offensive series. 

Score: Vikings 7, Cardinals 0 (10:09 first)

Inactives

Broadcast info

The game can be seen at 10 a.m. MST time on Fox.

Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth will be in the broadcast booth for the game.

The Cardinals are coming off a 42-34 win against the New Orleans Saints.

The Vikings were on a bye in Week 7.

The Cardinals beat the Vikings in Week 2 last season, 34-33.

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NFL Week 8 Odds

The Vikings are a 3.5-point favorite in the game.

The Vikings are -200 on the money line in the game, which will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Cardinals are +160.

The over/under for the game is set at 48.5 points.

Reach the reporter at emily.horos@azcentral.com or 602-444-2426. Follow her on Twitter @ejhoros. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals can't overcome turnovers, penalties in loss to Vikings