Cardinals vs. Vikings 2012: Minnesota wins ugly, but wins nonetheless

Minnesota edged out the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, 21-14, despite a poor performance from quarterback Christian Ponder and the Vikings offense.

Ponder was 8-of-17 for only 58 yards with one touchdown on the day, a three-yard pass to Percy Harvin, but he also threw two interceptions. The Minnesota offense managed only 209 total yards, almost all of which was due to Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 153 yards on 23 carries.

Christopher Gates of SB Nation's Minnesota Vikings blog, The Daily Norseman, writes that it was ugly at times and performances like Sunday's may be an issue of concern moving forward, but for now, the team will take the win.

It wasn't always pretty, and it wasn't always fun, but the Minnesota Vikings moved their record to 5-2 on the season on Sunday afternoon with a 21-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

I understand that a win is a win, there are no style points in the National Football League. . .that's all well and good. And I understand that the Cardinals have one of the NFL's better defenses. . .But the Minnesota offense was not good today. Not at all. The special teams weren't particularly good today, either.

Despite its ugliness, Sunday's win moved the Minnesota Vikings towards the top spot in the NFC North with the 4-1 Chicago Bears. If the Bears lose Monday night against the Detroit Lions, then Minnesota would sit alone atop the division.

The Vikings now face a quick turnaround, as they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Thursday.