The late fumble and the decision-making behind it will haunt the Vikings.
On the other hand, they also stood toe-to-toe with the second-best team in the NFC and had a shot to win late, and that’s at least some positive for a team that is ahead of expectations this year.
“This one hurts so bad, man. I can’t explain how much it hurts,” cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “But we did have fight, so that’s a good sign.”
They were also fighting the Cardinals short-handed. The Vikings were missing three defensive standouts (Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith), and cornerback Terence Newman was forced to play safety, leaving four rookies in the starting lineup against the league’s top offense.
“I hope they learned that if we fight and play with a chip on our shoulder, we fight and we give the kind of effort that we did [Thursday], when we have a chance to be a good football team,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “We lost and I’ve always said, ‘No moral victories.’ But this hopefully is a good learning experience for us.”
And while they’re not in the NFC North lead any more, they are well-positioned to make the playoffs, as they continue to build a solid organization.