It wasn't pretty, the passing attack was brutal but Adrian Peterson and the Vikings defense helped take care of the Arizona Cardinals 21-14 at Mall of America Field.
Adrian Peterson ran for 153 yards and scored a first quarter touchdown in the win and rookie Harrison Smith helped the cause with his first interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Christian Ponder continued to struggle completing just 8 passes for 58 yards while throwing two interceptions and a touchdown to Percy Harvin.
As a team, the Vikings picked up only two first downs in the second half while totalling a mere 59 yards of total offense. The second came on the games final drive on fourthdown when Peterson ran for six yards to end the game.
The Vikings defense sacked Cardinals quarterback John Skelton six times. Brian Robison picked up three sacks while Jared Allen had two in the win.
The Vikings move to 5-2 on the season and will host Tampa Bay Thursday night at Mall of America Field.
The Game Turned When:
Harrison Smith intercepted a John Skelton pass in the third quarter and ran it back 31 yards for a score to increase the lead to 21-7.
Welcome Home:
Arizona receivers Larry Fitzgerald who played high school football at Holy Angels, and Michael Floyd, who played at Cretin-Derham Hall both returned to Mall of America field. The hometown duo was held to a combined five catches for 36 yards.
Bad Start:
Percy Harvin took the opening kickoff back 106 yards for a touchdown only to have it nulified by a penalty.
