What Vikings are celebrating today after their 23-22 comeback win vs Cardinals

Several reality checks are needed for Cardinals if they are going to contend

Cardinals’ fans in the aftermath of watching their team squander a 19-6 3rd quarter lead over the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium yesterday are repeatedly claiming that the Cardinals’ defense “played lights out.”

Reality check #1: for most of 3 quarters the Cardinals’ defense played very well. But when it mattered most, they wilted under pressure.

Look at how easy the Cardinals’ defense made things for QB Sam Darnold and the Vikings’ receivers. Earlier in the game, the Cardinals had great success dialing up pressures on Donald and playing sticky man-to-man defense on the Vikings’ receivers. Like this:

Why then did DC Nick Rallis dial back that approach in favor of playing the kind of soft zones that have been dashing the Cardinals’ chances to win in virtually all of their six losses?

Jonathan Gannon decided not to go for the 2-point conversion to try to make the score: ARZ 20 MIN 6.

Then, Gannon decided when kicking a FG with 4 minutes left to gain a precarious 6-point lead at 22-16, that he would put the outcome of the game in the hands on his defense —- how can those decisions be justified when the defense does not assign a single defender to Justin Jefferson, when they should have been not just single covering him, but double covering him?

It makes absolutely no football sense whatsoever.

Moments of truth:

4th & 5 at ARI 33

(2:10 – 4th) (Shotgun) S.Darnold pass short right to J.Jefferson to ARZ 21 for 12 yards (B.Browning) [X.Thomas].

Jonathan Gannon has all three timeouts left at this critical point in the game. How advisable would it have been to use one of the timeouts hear to make 100% sure that the pass rush and pass coverage assignments would be?

This was an earlier wide-open pass from Darnold to Jefferson:

The one on 4th down was even easier and more wide-open.

2nd & 2 at ARI 5

(1:13 – 4th) (Shotgun) S.Darnold pass short right to A.Jones for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN. J.Romo extra point is GOOD, Center-J.McQuaide, Holder-R.Wright.

Nick Rallis’ decision to play soft zones which left All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson wide open with the game on the line was a gift-wrapping.

Is there an NFL DC in the league who would choose to leave Justin Jefferson uncovered in a soft zone, especially with the game on the line?

Nick Rallis’ decision to play soft zone at the goal line with the game on the line was a gift-wrapping.

The Vikings knew what we Cardinals’ fans know, RBs in the red zone are left unaccounted for by the Cardinals defense and are always wide open.

Did the Vikings’ defense ever make completions like these easy for the Cardinals?

Reality Check #2: “Kyler Murray is a better QB than Geno Smith and Sam Darnold”

The answer, not in the last two games, no.

This panic heave set the tone for the all-critical 4th-quarter, and it was intercepted by, of all people, Byron Murphy Jr.

Moment of truth:

4th & 10 at ARI 30

(0:40 – 4th) (Shotgun) K.Murray pass deep right intended for M.Harrison INTERCEPTED by S.Griffin [Ji.Ward] at MIN 45. S.Griffin to MIN 45 for no gain (M.Harrison).

• Kyler Murray was 31-of-45 for 260 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions, with a passer rating of 72.2.
• Sam Darnold was 21-of-31 for 235 yards, 2 TDs and 0 interceptions with a passer rating of 111.6

The reality among many Cardinals’ fans is that those who have issues with Kyler Murray’s performances are “pathetic” because when Kyler falters it’s always going to be because of:

• Poor play calling
• Terrible offensive line
• Slow WRs

What made the Cardinals only TD so special?

Excellent float to his right by Kyler away from pressure and perfectly dropped dime in the bucket for Marvin Harrison Jr. This play shows how outstanding Kyler and MHJ can be.

Problem is —- despite the Cardinals offense being in or near the red zone 8 times in this football game (which is an excellent accomplishment, albeit for mostly setting up FGs), did you ever see Kyler attempt any other throws into the end zone?

Cardinals have played 12 games. How many times has Kyler Murray thrown to Trey McBride in the end zone? How can it possibly be that Trey McBride, who is by far the Cardinals’ best receiver and with Budda Baker, one of the team’s only All-Pro candidates, has 0 TDs on what has been hardly any targets?

That needs to get solved.

Reality Check #3: “The Cardinals deserved to win the game.”

Teams that play hard for 60 minutes are the ones that win NFL football games, as is very well emphasized here by Vikings’ HC Kevin O’Connell.

Seriously, Jonathan Gannon should show the team this post-victory locker room speech.

Then, he should have the team go back and watch their home game versus the Rams, so as to ask the team the following questions:

1. Is our defense capable of playing a “Desert Swarm” type of defense for all 4 quarters?
2. Is our offense capable of playing a “Desert Storm” type of offense that punches the ball into the end zone on multiple occasions?
3. Is Kyler Murray capable of outplaying Geno Smith?
4. Is our team, in all three phases, capable of playing good, hard, aggressive football for 60 minutes, especially in closing out the game the way the Vikings did?

Answer Key:

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes

What will be the Cardinals’ moments of truth this week?

That’s all the matters now.