Best Twitter Reactions to Arizona Cardinals' Monday Night Win

The Arizona Cardinals (5-2) survived a comeback scare by Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens (1-6) late Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium and won 26-18, thanks to Tony Jefferson's timely pick on a questionable toss. 

The eight-point victory was by no means the kind of thumping a lot of pundits had originally predicted, but that’s not to say the Cardinals didn’t look impressive.

Arizona’s offense was clicking both on the ground and in the air. Its defense, ranked as the league's sixth-best in total yards per game, also showed up, most notably in the final seconds. 

While Flacco did manage to run an impressive two-minute drill at the end of the game, slinging well-placed throws to receivers along the sidelines, his threat ultimately ended with 0:13 seconds left due to a poor decision and a forced pass made while trying to back-step away from a tide of defensive linemen.

Flacco’s last-ditch pass arched in the air, and Jefferson skillfully intercepted it. The Ravens had come up short again.

Then, the debate was on­. Can Flacco be considered an elite quarterback? How much can he be blamed for the Ravens’ sixth loss of the season?

Shortly after the game, SB Nation weighed in and questioned Flacco’s place among the league’s top quarterbacks:

Others, such as Phil Gentile of the Purple Reign Show podcast, preferred to look at the big picture behind Baltimore’s loss, which included the team’s inability to contain the Cardinals’ offensive threats:

Arizona rode running back Chris Johnson's strong performance, as he resembled his former self from 2009, per Complex Magazine’s Jose Martinez.

Johnson ran for 122 yards off 18 carries, including a 26-yard touchdown and a miraculous run in which he rolled off a defender while not being ruled down.

Prior to this year, CJ2K was considered down-and-out after a fizzle of a season in New York. But he has since turned things around by climbing to second place on the NFL rushing leaderboard, according to SportsCenter.

One of the Ravens’ biggest problems was completing tackles. And Johnson certainly made them pay for it, per ESPN Stats & Info:

But Johnson was just one part of the all-around team effort the Cardinals put forth on their home turf.

Wide receivers John Brown and Larry Fitzgerald were both a big part of the storyline. Brown, 25, made a series of clutch catches, including a sick two-handed grab that had the NFL’s Twitter page buzzing.

Fitzgerald and Ravens WR Steve Smith Sr. came into the game with only one catch separating each other on the all-time receptions list, per ESPN Monday Night.

After five receptions for Smith in this one, and three for the Cardinals veteran, Smith moved to 18th overall with 956 career catches, and Fitzgerald is now one behind him with 955, according to the Football Database.

Fitzgerald also kept his streak of consecutive games with a reception going on Monday, per the Cardinals' Twitter account:

The Ravens were delivered a tough go with the schedule this season, as five of their first seven games were on the road, including Monday’s game. Their surely jetlagged roster will be happy to return home for a more manageable matchup against the San Diego Chargers (2-5) at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

While they have only been victorious in one game so far, the lone bright spot may be the fact that every game they have played has been close, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Look for Flacco to show more signs of that fight in him against the Chargers secondary in Week 8. If the Ravens defense can regroup on the other side of the ball by finishing tackles and avoiding silly pass-interference calls, there’s no reason why Flacco and the offensive unit can’t shine versus a struggling Chargers team.

Running back Justin Forsett has shown flashes of brilliance this season. He rushed for 150 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers and then 121 yards versus the Cleveland Browns and could be a big factor versus a Chargers defense that has given up the league's second-most rushing yards this year.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, will hope to keep their offense churning Sunday versus a non-threatening 2-5 Browns team that may or may not be playing with QB Josh McCown, as reported by Browns senior staff writer Andrew Gribble.

Cleveland only managed to score six points versus the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. With a great all-around defense and Chris Johnson's improved rush attack, the Cardinals could roll to their sixth victory of the season.