Minnesota Vikings

Upon further review: Vikings at Cardinals

Published Dec. 11, 2015 12:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

The statistics from Thursday night's Vikings-Cardinals dustup were as close as it gets, in several respects.

Minnesota had 23 first downs to Arizona's 22. The Cardinals racked up 393 total yards while the Vikings registered 389. Both teams' quarterbacks passed for over 300 yards.

Scroll down the stat sheet, though, and you'll notice one glaring blemish for the visiting Vikings (8-5): Minnesota had three turnovers, while the hosts had none.

Minnesota had a few miscues at the most inopportune times and that made the difference, as Arizona eked out a 23-20 victory.

Considering the Vikings were coming off their worst home loss since 1984 (a 38-7 defeat to the Seahawks), losing by three points to an 11-2 club hardly seems embarrassing.

This game was ripe for the picking, however, and the Vikings let it slip through their grasp.

Now that the dust has settled, let's recap Thursday night's wild contest.

SUNDAY SCHOOL (ON THURSDAY)

-- The undermanned Vikings defense acquitted itself respectably. Minnesota was without four defensive starters, including arguably its best three defenders in safety Harrison Smith (out due to a hamstring injury), linebacker Anthony Barr (groin, hand) and nose tackle Linval Joseph (foot). Despite that, Minnesota held Arizona relatively in check following a lengthy opening drive that resulted in a 27-yard field goal for the hosts. Among the backups that performed admirably was rookie safety Anthony Harris, who tied for a team-best eight total tackles on the night -- not bad for a recent practice-squad player.

-- Teddy Bridgewater displayed some growth on this night. Minnesota's second-year signal-caller endured an onslaught of criticism after last Sunday's uninspired 118-yard performance against Seattle, but was rather impressive against Arizona. The 23-year-old played with poise virtually throughout, ending up with a stat line of 25-of-36 passing for 335 yards, one TD, zero interceptions and a 108.0 passer rating. Bridgewater actually ended up with more passing yards than the NFC's leader in that category, as Carson Palmer ended the night with 310 yards (albeit with two TDs). Perhaps more importantly, Bridgewater pushed the ball downfield a bit more than usual, as six Minnesota receivers had a reception of 20 yards or longer.

-- The Minnesota natives on Arizona's offense stung the Vikings. A pair of Twin Cities natives haunted Minnesota, as receivers Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald combined for 10 catches. Floyd, who was born in St. Paul, ended with 102 yards and one touchdown. Fitzgerald, of Minneapolis, had five catches for 41 yards (not to mention a great block on the Floyd TD) and now has 96 receptions this season.

-- Mike Wallace reacquainted himself with Minnesota's offense. Wallace, a prized offseason acquisition for the Vikings, was a no-show in his club's offense for most of November. The 29-year-old speedster has slowly re-emerged of late, though. On Thursday, Wallace saw five targets and ended with three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. He had a long grab of 23 yards, adding a downfield element that was missing from Minnesota's passing game in recent weeks.

DULY NOTED

-- Adrian Peterson wanted the ball more after getting just eight carries last Sunday, and he was granted his wish Thursday. The 30-year-old Vikings star got 23 carries in Arizona, but was held relatively in check, with 69 yards -- 3.0 yards per carry -- and one score. After Minnesota's first possession of the night, Peterson produced just 31 yards on 19 attempts. Peterson also coughed up his seventh fumble of the year, as he botched an exchange on a planned reverse at the 11:20 mark of the third quarter. That play set up an Arizona touchdown that handed the hosts a 17-10 lead.

-- Head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters after the game that Bridgewater was supposed to throw toward the sideline on Minnesota's final play from scrimmage. The second-year QB appeared to be looking deep, however. Minnesota was in position for a roughly 49-yard, game-tying field goal at the time, but the visitors' 3rd-and-10 play ended with Bridgewater getting sacked and stripped of the ball by Arizona veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney. Oh, what could have been. . . .

-- Rookie cornerback Trae Waynes saw extensive action for the Vikings and held up decently, recording five total tackles. Waynes, the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, also had a pass defended.

-- Arizona (11-2) clinched a playoff berth with its win. The Vikings, meanwhile, remain in the fifth spot, for the moment, in the NFC's playoff race. Seattle (7-5) and Tampa Bay (6-6) currently sit in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

WHAT IT MEANT

It might be hard to believe, considering that gut-wrenching finish, but Thursday's loss probably didn't hurt Minnesota too much in the long run. First of all, Zimmer wisely rested his defensive stars to enable them to get fully healthy for the season's stretch run. Additionally, Minnesota bounced back with a respectable performance following a truly humbling, 31-point beating from Seattle. And, finally, Minnesota represented its franchise well, considering it was a 10-point underdog at kickoff.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Arizona's Carson Palmer certainly deserves recognition following his 310-yard, two-TD night. But how about Arizona safety Tyrann Mathieu and his game-high 11 total tackles? The 23-year-old "badgered" the Vikings all night with his stealth-like blitzing. The man they call the Honey Badger had one pass defended and one tackle for loss.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME

Teddy Bridgewater deserves some credit for picking himself up off the canvas after last week's ugly performance. The 23-year-old's 335 passing yards represented a career high.

THAT MOMENT

This one's gonna hurt a little, Vikings fans. With nearly five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes dropped what appeared to be a possible "pick-six" pass, along the sideline. At that moment, Minnesota trailed, 17-10, and a rare Rhodes interception and TD return could've obviously knotted the score. Instead, Arizona added a 23-yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal a few minutes later, pushing its lead to 20-10. That was a costly swing, without question.

THIS NUMBER

100. Career touchdowns for Adrian Peterson following Thursday's nine-yard, first-quarter scoring run. The Vikings star now has eight TDs in 2015.

THEY SAID IT

"I thought our team resembled more of what I am used to seeing. We didn't do enough things to win the football game, though." -- Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer

"We didn't have any timeouts, couldn't afford to get tackled in bounds. The (final) play was designed to push the ball down a little and allow our guy to make the catch and get out of bounds." -- Minnesota QB Teddy Bridgewater

"Obviously, there are things we need to fix up, but overall I thought we played really well." -- Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes

WHAT'S NEXT

Minnesota takes on division rival Chicago next Sunday, at noon, at TCF Bank Stadium. It'll be the first of three games against NFC opponents to close the season for the Vikings.