Vikings vs. Cardinals: Score and Twitter Reaction for Thursday Night Football

The Arizona Cardinals blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, but a 47-yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal with one minute, 23 seconds remaining proved to be the difference as head coach Bruce Arians' squad notched a 23-20 win and clinched a playoff spot against the Minnesota Vikings at University of Phoenix Stadium on Thursday night. 

The Vikings were in field-goal range with 13 seconds remaining, but a strip-sack of Teddy Bridgewater by Cardinals defender Dwight Freeney—see below courtesy of the NFL—crushed Minnesota's hopes and allowed Arizona to tie a franchise record with 11 wins. 

The Cardinals' victory Thursday also gave them something else to celebrate, per ESPN Stats & Info:         

The Vikings needed a boost after Arizona went up 20-10, and they chipped away with defensive stands and composed drives to draw even with less than five minutes left. The game-tying score came courtesy of a pass from Bridgewater to wide receiver Mike Wallace, which has been a rare connection for the team of late, per ESPN Stats & Info: 

However, the Cardinals remained composed and ate up chunks of yards on their way to the game-winning score. 

Matched up against a Vikings defense missing safety Harrison Smith (hamstring), linebacker Anthony Barr (groin) and defensive tackle Linval Joseph (foot), the Cardinals didn't have any trouble moving the ball. 

Carson Palmer completed 25 of 35 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie running back David Johnson piled up 92 yards on 19 carries to go with five catches for 31 yards. 

Michael Floyd paced the Cardinals' receiving corps with five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. John Brown added a 65-yard touchdown grab, and Larry Fitzgerald posted five catches for 41 yards. 

Bridgewater more than held his own for the Vikings, though. Minnesota's signal-caller completed 25 of 36 passes for a career-high 335 yards and a touchdown, while Adrian Peterson rushed 23 times for 69 yards and a score, the 100th of his career. 

FanDuel's Aaron Nagler summed up Bridgewater's prime-time display: 

Based on the Vikings' offensive performance, it would have been hard to know they struggled so mightily against the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday.

Bridgewater kept the chains moving with quick-hitters in the passing game, and Peterson offered plenty on the ground a week after he was limited to 18 yards on eight carries.

In fact, the league's leading rusher eclipsed both those marks early by rushing 12 times for 56 yards and a touchdown in the first half, including a 21-yard scamper highlighted by beautiful footwork: 

ESPN's Bomani Jones summed up just how intimidating Peterson was with the ball in his hands Thursday evening: 

The Cardinals had chances to build a big lead all game long, but a 14-play, 71-yard effort to open the night merely produced a field goal. They also came up empty on three plays inside the 10-yard line to close out the third quarter. 

However, woes ran both ways. 

The Vikings squandered a pair of scoring opportunities with fumbles in Cardinals territory—including a Peterson fumble on a trick play when Minnesota was dialed in on its first drive of the third quarter. 

Minnesota's quest to create offense in an innovative fashion backfired, and the Cardinals immediately responded with a go-ahead touchdown to Floyd. The scoring toss was the 31st of Palmer's season, and it allowed him to pass Kurt Warner for the most single-season touchdown passes in franchise history, per ESPN Stats & Info. 

The NFL's official Twitter account provided video of the catch-and-run, which was facilitated by some sensational blocking from Fitzgerald: 

Although Floyd's score briefly looked like it would swing momentum in the Cardinals' favor, the Vikings counterpunched time and again down the stretch to keep things interesting. 

But Arizona escaped, and now it has a chance to clinch the NFC West as early as Sunday. If the Seahawks lose to the Baltimore Ravens, Arizona will officially own the division crown.

However, if Seattle takes care of Baltimore, the Cardinals will have to wait until next week at the earliest to put a bow on the NFC West. A showdown with a fallible Philadelphia Eagles secondary in Week 15 should have Palmer and Arians salivating. 

The Vikings, meanwhile, are still in the driver's seat for a wild-card berth. That said, they're not out of the woods yet, having dropped two straight. In order to get back on the winning track, Minnesota will need to dispatch the Chicago Bears in Week 15 before the New York Giants come to town. 

Postgame Reaction

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer broke down the play that produced Bridgewater’s game-ending fumble, according to the Star Tribune’s Matt Vensel:

On the whole, Zimmer gleaned plenty of positives from his team’s play, per the Vikings' official Twitter account: 

"

"I hope they learned that if we fight and play with a chip on our shoulder...we have a chance to be a good football team." - Zimmer

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 11, 2015"

Arians expressed relief (NSFW: Language) following the win, according to Darren Urban of the team’s official website: 

"Weird game, but to win the weird ones is big," Palmer added, according to Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official website.