The good, the bad and the ugly from the Vikings’ game against the Cardinals

The Vikings were pretty even with the Cardinals in Week 2.

In a game Minnesota really needed to win, based on its Week 1 loss and the team’s strength of schedule, the Vikings could not come up at the most crucial moment in order to pull off the victory.

Now, the Vikings are in an 0-2 hole. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the Vikings’ loss to the Cardinals:

The good: the offense

Sep 19, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) catches a touchdown pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings were responsible for 26 points on offense (the team got a pick-six from the defense). Overall, the group played pretty well. The Vikings averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Kirk Cousins had three touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Vikings struggled in every other facet of the game, but at least the team still has a decent offense, it seems like.

The bad: late-game management and the defense

Sep 19, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Deandre Hopkins (10) celebrates after catching a 15-yard touchdown pass in the first half against the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings defense was yet again outmatched by their opponent on offense. Minnesota made big improvements to the group in 2021 free agency. Despite that, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray threw for 400 yards. Arizona also rushed for 103 yards. But enough about the defense. At the end of the game, the Vikings had a timeout and 40 seconds left to get to team a shorter field goal. Even Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins thinks the team should have been more aggressive:

It's easy to look back on this game, knowing what happened, and say the Vikings should have tried to move the ball farther down the field. Still, it was worth a shot, knowing the team has a relative unknown at kicker, which leads me to my next point...

The ugly: The kicking game

Minnesota Vikings punter Jordan Berry (3) consoles kicker Greg Joseph (1) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 34-33. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Kicker Greg Joseph missed a field goal and an extra point on Sunday. Surprisingly, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer defended his kicker on Monday. Minnesota will likely stay with Joseph — for the time being. The Vikings kicker needs a bounce-back performance against the Seahawks on Sunday.

1

1