Cardinals vs. Vikings: Game time, TV schedule, injury updates and more

With John Skelton in to replace Kevin Kolb at quarterback, the Vikings are 7.5 point favorites to defeat the Cardinals.

Cardinals At Vikings: Minnesota Crushes Arizona, 34-10

The Minnesota Vikings have had big halftime leads this season. In their first three games of 2011, they had halftime leads of 10, 17, and 20 points, only to see all of those games get chalked up as losses as part of an 0-4 start.

On Sunday afternoon, they had no such difficulties, tying a team record for points scored in the first quarter with 28 and going into the locker room against the Arizona Cardinals leading by a score of 28-3. The team held on in the second half behind a swarming defense and notched the team's first victory of 2011 by a final score of 34-10 at the Metrodome.

The Vikings defense dominated the early going, forcing two early turnovers from the Cardinals. The first came when Everson Griffen deflected a pass from Cardinals' quarterback Kevin Kolb that wound up in the hands of cornerback Asher Allen on Arizona's third drive of the afternoon. The Vikings capitalized on that turnover one play later, when Peterson cruised in for his second touchdown of the afternoon to put the Vikings ahead by a score of 14-0.

On Arizona's next drive, Brian Robison blew through the Cardinals' offensive line and knocked the ball out of Kolb's hand, with Jared Allen falling on the fumble for Minnesota. On the ensuing possession for Minnesota, Donovan McNabb took it in himself with a four-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-0. After forcing the Cardinals to punt on their next drive, Minnesota drove down the field again, and Peterson again found pay dirt after a 14-yard touchdown run to make the score 28-0. The 28 points in the first quarter tied the franchise record set on September 28, 1986 against the Green Bay Packers.

The Vikings went into the locker room at halftime with a 28-3 lead, and the Cardinals managed to cut it to 28-10 after a 2-yard touchdown run by Chris Wells. . .who you may know as "Beanie". . .with about eight and a half minutes left in the third quarter. However, those would be the last points that Arizona would score on the afternoon, as the Vikings' relentless defense kept pounding on Kolb and company. Vikings' safety Jamarca Sanford got the first two interceptions of his NFL career, nearly returning the second one for a touchdown. Robison and Allen both collected two sacks each in this afternoon's assault as well. The defensive performance was particularly impressive considering that the Vikings did it without all-everything cornerback Antoine Winfield, who sat out today's game with a neck injury.

Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald had a relatively quiet game for Arizona, collecting just four catches for 66 yards on the afternoon.

The 24-point victory for the Viking means that, despite having a record of 1-4, the Vikings have outscored their opponents by a margin of 111-106 this season, making things even more frustrating for this team and their fans. Not every aspect of the game was pretty, as McNabb failed to complete 50% of his passes, completing just 10-of-21 attempts for 169 yards and a score.

The Vikings will make their first prime-time appearance of 2011 next week, as they will travel to Chicago to take on the Bears on Sunday Night Football.

Cardinals At Vikings: Minnesota Extends Lead to 34-10

I feel fairly confident in saying that I don't think that even the Minnesota Vikings can screw this one up.

Ryan Longwell has hit a field goal from 50+ yards for the first time since 2009. . .he didn't even have a single attempt from more than 50 yards in 2010. . .by hitting a 53-yarder to extend the Vikings' lead over the Arizona Cardinals to 34-10.

This will be the first victory of the year for Minnesota, and in the process the 2011 Vikings will avoid being just the second team in franchise history to start out 0-5. That means the only Viking team to start 0-5 will remain the 1962 version of the team.

Congratulations to the Minnesota Vikings and Leslie Frazier on getting their first win of the season, and Frazier's first victory as a full-time NFL coach.

We're at the two-minute warning in Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Vikings lead the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 34-10.

Cardinals At Vikings: Minnesota Answers Back, Makes Lead 31-10

The Minnesota Vikings needed to respond to the Arizona Cardinals' latest score, and they did just that.

After an ill-advised decision by Lorenzo Booker to bring a kickoff out of the end zone started the Vikings at their own 10-yard line, the Vikings got a big play a couple of plays into the drive, as Donovan McNabb connected with Devin Aromashodu on a short pass that turned into a 60-yard catch-and-run for the Vikings, putting them into the Arizona red zone.

However, the Vikings' drive stalled out at the Arizona 8-yard line, and the Vikings settled for a Ryan Longwell field goal to make it a three-touchdown game again, extending the lead to 31-10.

Longwell is still perfect on this season, hitting eight field goals in eight attempts, and 16 field goals in a row dating back to last season. Longwell has hit 94 of his last 98 field goals from 45 yards and in, which is an extraordinary streak.

With a shade over three minutes remaining in the third quarter of play, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 31-10.

Cardinals At Vikings: Arizona Finds The End Zone, Makes It 28-10

Ummmmmm. . .uh-oh?

The Vikings got the ball first coming out of the locker room, and had a nice little drive going until Michael Jenkins fumbled the ball at the Arizona 41-yard line, a ball that was recovered by the Cardinals. From there, the Cardinals went on a nine-play, 59-yard drive to get the ball into the end zone. The drive was highlighted by a 22-yard connection between Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald, only the second catch on the day for the Cardinals' star, to put Arizona on the 2-yard line. Chris Wells. . .who you may know as "Beanie". . .put the ball into the end zone on the next play, and the Jay Feely extra point made the score 28-10 in favor of Minnesota.

Hopefully it's not happening again in Minnesota. If this team can't hold this lead against a team that, really, isn't particularly good, things could get ugly across Vikings country.

With about six and a half minutes left in the third quarter, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 28-10.

Cardinals at Vikings: Arizona Dents The Scoreboard

Well, the Minnesota Vikings will not throw a shutout this afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona pinned Minnesota deep in their own territory, and after Minnesota went three and out, the ensuing Chris Kluwe punt set the Cardinals up at around midfield. The Cardinals didn't move the ball very far. . .only 20 yards in seven plays. . .but that was good enough to get them in position for kicker Jay Feely to hit a field goal from 51 yards out to cut Minnesota's lead to 28-3.

We have 10:29 left in the first half of play at the Metrodome, and the Vikings lead by 25 points. In the first half of ball games this season, the Vikings have outscored their opponents by a total score of 89-19. We all know that it's the second half that's been the bugaboo for this team this season, but hopefully they can prevent the same thing from happening in this one.

Cardinals at Vikings: Peterson Finds The End Zone Again, Makes Lead 28-0

This might be a halftime lead that even the 2011 Minnesota Vikings can't blow.

After another three-and-out for the Arizona Cardinals, the Vikings started their most recent drive with a 36-yard pass interference penalty drawn by Michael Jenkins. That put the Vikings into Arizona territory at the 33-yard line. A couple of plays later, Donovan McNabb managed to escape a Joey Porter sack and fire a 21-yard strike to Devin Aromashadou to put the Vikings down at the 12.

After that, Adrian Peterson did it again, taking a handoff from McNabb and absolutely burying a member of the Arizona Cardinals on a run up the middle for his third touchdown of the afternoon. Since he lost 2 yards on the previous play, it was 14 yards on the touchdown run for Peterson. Thus far on the afternoon, Peterson has nine carries for 59 yards and three scores.

Adrian Peterson has never had a four-touchdown game in his career. With 2 minutes left in the first quarter, he already has three.

With time winding down in the first quarter. . .yes, in the first quarter. . .the Minnesota Vikings have a 28-0 lead over the Arizona Cardinals. This is the first time in Vikings' history that the Vikings have scored 28 points in the first quarter of play.

Cardinals At Vikings: Another Turnover, Another Touchdown For Minnesota

The Minnesota defense has done it again, and the Vikings have built a huge first quarter lead again.

Brian Robison blasted around the Arizona defensive line, and got to Kevin Kolb just as he was getting ready to throw the ball. The ball squirted out of Kolb's hand, and Jared Allen fell on it at the Arizona 25-yard line. After 20-yard completion to Visanthe Shiancoe, the Vikings faced a third and goal from the Arizona 4-yard line, and the Cardinals' defense left Donovan McNabb a wide open lane to the end zone. McNabb jogged effortlessly into the end zone, and Ryan Longwell's extra point made it 21-0 in favor of Minnesota.

The Vikings' defense has absolutely dominated thus far. The Cardinals have run nine offensive plays. . .two three-and-outs, two turnovers, and one completed pass.

With 6:25 left in the first quarter at the Metrodome, the Vikings have a 21-0 lead over the Arizona Cardinals. They've scored three touchdowns in the last 3:23 of game time.

Of course, Viking fans know that we probably shouldn't get too excited yet.

Cardinals At Vikings: Minnesota Cashes In On Turnover, Takes 14-0 Lead

Well, that didn't take long.

After taking over on their own 20-yard line, Cardinals' quarterback Kevin Kolb dropped back to pass. He attempted a throw over the middle, but it was tipped by Vikings' defensive lineman Everson Griffen, and wound up in the hands of cornerback Asher Allen. Minnesota took over at the Arizona 24-yard line, and they knew exactly what to do.

Donovan McNabb turned around and handed the ball to Adrian Peterson, who made an Arizona defender look absolutely foolish with a stiff-arm, and then flew around the right side to take the ball the distance for a 24-yard touchdown run. The play gave the Vikings a 13-0 lead, and Ryan Longwell converted the extra point to make it 14-0.

The interception for the Vikings was their fourth on the season. The touchdown for Peterson is his fifth of the season, and he has five carries for 46 yards and two scores early on in this one.

With 8:55 left in the first quarter of play, the Minnesota Vikings are off to another fast start, leading the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 14-0.

Cardinals At Vikings: Minnesota Draws First Blood, Leads 7-0

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten on the board first in their contest against the Arizona Cardinals, as they've taken an early -0 lead.

After Chris Kluwe pinned the Cardinals on their own 3-yard line with a punt after Minnesota's first possession, the Vikings forced Arizona into a second consecutive three-and-out. Marcus Sherels then returned Ben Graham's punt to the Arizona 18-yard line. From there, it was the Adrian Peterson show, as he carried the ball on three of the four plays on the Minnesota drive (after an incompletion by Donovan McNabb). The first two carries went for 11 yards and 3 yards, and the third one saw Peterson bulldog his way into the end zone from five yards out for his fourth touchdown of the season.

The Minnesota drive covered 17 yards in four plays, taking 1:35 off of the clock.

Peterson has four carries for 22 yards thus far on the afternoon, while Donovan McNabb has yet to complete a pass in three attempts. Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb is also 0-for-3 thus far.

With 9:18 left in the first quarter of play, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 7-0.

Cardinals At Vikings: Inactive Lists For Both Teams

Both the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings have released their lists of inactive players for today's game at the Metrodome. Those lists are as follows:

Cardinals

OL D'Anthony Batiste
TE Tim Dray
QB John Skelton
WR Chansi Stuckey
DE Ronald Talley
WR Stephen Williams
P Dave Zastudil

Vikings

LB Xavier Adibi
WR Bernard Berrian
OL Brandon Fusco
OL DeMarcus Love
S Mistral Raymond
DE D'Aundre Reed
CB Antoine Winfield

WInfield being out is a potentially huge loss for the Vikings, particularly with Larry Fitzgerald lining up for the Cardinals this week. Hopefully players like Chris Cook and Cedric Griffin can step up their games this afternoon in the Vikings' efforts against one of the NFL's best receivers.

Bernard Berrian has finally be deactivated by this team after four games that have seen him catch a total of two passes for 37 yards. Presumably, this will give him more time to spend on Twitter and not, you know, improving his game or anything like that.

We're about 45 minutes away from kickoff, ladies and gentlemen. We'll have all of the updates for you for this one right here at SB Nation Minnesota!

Cardinals At Vikings: How You Can Follow The Action

It's an hour from game time, ladies and gentlemen, as the Minnesota Vikings are getting set to host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 NFL action. If you don't know how you can follow all of the action, I'm here to help you figure it out.

According to our good friends over at The 506, you can see this game on your local Fox affiliate if you live in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, western Wisconsin, most of Arizona, and central Oklahoma (thank you, Adrian Peterson). The Fox announcers for this one will be Chris Myers and Tim Ryan. . .not surprising for a game between two teams with a combined record of 1-7.

If you are outside those areas and are wanting to view the game via the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package, you'll need to tune to Channel 710.

If you don't have access to a television and are wanting the radio feed instead, you can find your local Vikings Radio Network affiliate right here. If you're a subscriber to the Sirius portion of SiriusXM satellite radio, you can find the Vikings' feed on Channel 106, or the Cardinals' feed on Channel 138. If you have a Sirius subscription, you can also listen to the game through the internet, with the Vikings' feed on Channel 874 and the Cardinals' feed on Channel 869.

Here's hoping you can find a way to support the Purple, wherever you are this afternoon!

Cardinals At Vikings: Taking A Look At The Odds For Sunday

Thanks to our good friends at OddsShark.com, we can take a look at what sorts of odds that those of you who are into the whole gambling thing can get on Sunday's game between the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings at various places across the internet.

Depending on where you put your money down, the Vikings are favored by anywhere between 1.5 and 3 points in this one. Considering that home field advantage in the National Football League is generally good for being a three point favorite, the oddsmakers view the Vikings as a toss-up at best in this one.

The over/under in this one is either 45 or 45.5 points, again depending on where you plop down your hard-earned cash. Looking at the stats for these two teams, they combine to give up an average of 45.8 points per game (21.8 for the Cardinals, 24.0 for the Vikings).

If I were a betting man. . .and I give you these odds for entertainment purposes only. . .but I would be tempted to take the Vikings and the points, as well as taking the over in this one. Neither of these teams are any great shakes defensively, so there will probably be plenty of points put up on Sunday afternoon.

Cardinals At Vikings: Injury Reports For Both Teams

Both the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings have some injury concerns going into this one, including a couple of big names.

We'll start with the injury report for the visiting Arizona Cardinals.

Hamstrings are the name of the game for the Cardinals, as that's the issue with tight end Todd Heap, running back Beanie Wells, and wide receiver Early Doucet, according to our friends at SB Nation Arizona. Heap is said to be a game-time decision, while it would be surprising if either Wells or Doucet are deactivated for this one. In the event that Zastudil can't handle the punting duties, Arizona has former Cardinals' punter Ben Graham on standby.

Now, on to the Vikings, who have some injury issues of their own.

Winfield's injury is a neck injury that he suffered in the Kansas City game, and his absence could present some huge problems for the Vikings on defense. He's technically a "game-time decision" as well, but it would be surprising to see him out there on Sunday, from all accounts. Kluwe is also battling an injury, and the Vikings have brought in former Detroit Lions' punter Nick Harris in case he can't go. Then again, Kluwe has played through a torn ACL in the past, so it would be a surprise if he wasn't playing this Sunday.

Cardinals At Vikings: Fantasy Football Starters From Both Teams

This Sunday's game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals does not feature a whole lot of fantasy football potential, aside from a couple of obvious options. Hopefully you're not leaning too heavily on folks from either of these two teams to make a significant impact for your fantasy team.

Starting with the visiting Cardinals, Arizona has one of the few "no doubt" starters in fantasy football in wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers in football, and is currently eighth in the NFL in receiving yards with 361, including two 100-yard games already this season. He's a guy you don't worry about match-ups with. . .you play him regardless.

If you need an option at running back, Beanie Wells has been having a nice little season thus far. He is currently averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and has already found the end zone five times in 2011. He would be recommended more highly if the Vikings' defense wasn't so solid against the run, but if you need a #2 running back, you could have much worse options. Kevin Kolb hasn't had a great season for the Cardinals, sporting a TD/INT ratio of 5 to 4 on the season so far, but the Vikings' defense is fairly weak against the pass, and could be even more so with Antoine Winfield potentially on the sidelines. If your regular quarterback has a tough match-up or is on their bye week this week (for you Joe Flacco owners, in particular), Kolb could be a nice option for you.

On the Minnesota side, the one "no doubt" starter is Adrian Peterson, the NFC's leading rusher and the #3 rusher in the NFL overall in terms of yardage. If you have Peterson and you're not playing him every week, then you're not doing things correctly.

With as awful as Minnesota's offense has been, it's tough to recommend anybody else. Percy Harvin could be a solid "flex" option, particularly if your league takes return yardage into account. It's tough to recommend anyone else in the Minnesota offense, however, thanks to the struggles of Donovan McNabb. The Minnesota defense could be a good play, as their offensive tackles are weak, particularly right tackle Levi Brown, so Jared Allen and Brian Robison could be in the Arizona backfield all afternoon wreaking havoc on Kolb and company.

Cardinals At Vikings: Is This The Week The Vikings Get A Victory?

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