Arizona soars into postseason
CARDINALS 23, VIKINGS 20 Freeney’s forced fumble secures playo≠ berth
glendale, ariz.» Dwight Freeney joined the Cardinals a month into the season to help boost Arizona’s troubled pass rush off the edge.
He helped it a whole lot Thursday night with a gameclinching play.
Freeney stripped the ball from Teddy Bridgewater with 5 seconds remaining to deprive the Vikings a chance at the tying field goal, and the Cardinals clinched a playoff berth with a 23-20 victory over Minnesota.
Bridgewater moved the Vikings to the Arizona 31-yard line, well within the range of Blair Walsh. But Freeney hit the quarterback’s arm as Bridgewater tried to pass. The ball came loose and Calais Campbell recovered.
Chandler Catanzaro’s 47-yard field goal with 1:23 to go was the winning score as Arizona (11-2) won its seventh in a row.
Bridgewater passed for 335 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (8-5), who were playing without four defensive starters but made it close after being embarrassed at home by Seattle 38-7 on Sunday.
Carson Palmer threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals, who will win the NFC West if Seattle is beaten Sunday at Baltimore.
Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, who Thursday wanted more carries than the eight he got (for 9 yards) against the Seahawks, got them, carrying 23 times for 69 yards, but had only 31 yards on 19 attempts after his 9-yard touchdown run on the Vikings’ first possession of the night.
Palmer connected on scoring plays of 65 yards to John Brown and 42 to Michael Floyd. His 30th and 31st touchdowns broke the franchise record of 30 set by Kurt Warner in Arizona’s 2008 Super Bowl season.
“I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had,” Palmer said.
Floyd caught five passes for 102 yards. David Johnson, the rookie who stepped in when the Cardinals’ top two backs were hurt, rushed for 92 yards in 19 attempts.
After Walsh’s 54-yard field goal cut the Arizona lead to 2013 and the Cardinals failed to convert on third-and-1, the Vikings went 88 yards in 11 plays, tying it 20-20 on Bridgewater’s third-down, 7-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace with 4:50 remaining.