Twitter Reacts to Teddy Bridgewater's Game-Ending Fumble vs. Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals clinched a postseason berth Thursday with their 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, but postgame discussion revolved around a critical mistake made by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater instead of the playoff news.

Minnesota had an opportunity to win or tie the game in the closing seconds when it lined up for a 3rd-and-10 play from Arizona’s 31-yard line. The offense was already in field-goal range with no timeouts remaining, but head coach Mike Zimmer elected to be aggressive.

As a result, defensive end Dwight Freeney sacked Bridgewater and forced a fumble, which Arizona recovered. Goodbye field goal, and goodbye opportunity for victory for Minnesota. 

The NFL shared the play:   

Matt Spiegel of 670 The Score did not hold back his criticism of the quarterback:

Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune pointed out it wasn’t the first time Bridgewater blew an opportunity this season with a late-game fumble:

Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated made a comparison:

Part of the problem many had with the game-ending sequence was Minnesota’s decision to keep the offense on the field with zero timeouts remaining. If the Vikings failed to get the first down and stayed in bounds, they couldn’t spike it because that would have resulted in a turnover on downs.

Michael DeCourcy of Sporting News reflected on that reality:

Matt Bowen of ESPN.com did not agree with Minnesota’s execution:

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated reiterated a similar opinion:

Peter King of Sports Illustrated put the onus on Bridgewater to understand the situation:

Jim Rome of CBS Sports Radio pointed to Freeney’s ability to make a play:

CBS Sports commented on the 35-year-old veteran's sack:

Robert Mays of Sports Illustrated put a humorous spin on Freeney’s longevity in the league:

The loss dropped Minnesota to 8-5 and put the 8-4 Green Bay Packers in first place in the NFC North. ESPN’s Skip Bayless looked at things from Green Bay’s perspective:

The Packers’ fortunes have certainly turned around since quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with tight end Richard Rodgers on a last-second Hail Mary pass to miraculously win the last Thursday Night Football game against the Detroit Lions.