Arizona Cardinals Officially Playoff Bound With Thursday Night Victory Over Minnesota Vikings

Well, it was quite a game last night! A back and forth contest that was not determined until the games final seconds.

Yet in the end, the Arizona Cardinals came up with the goods, as they pretty much have done all season now. The Vikings had tied the Cardinals late, although Arizona was able to answer with a field goal to go up by three, with Minnesota needing to find a way to get some points on the board to either win it outright in regulation, or to kick a field goal to tie it and send the game to overtime.

With seconds lefts to go, Arizona's solid defense was able to rush Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and strip him of the ball. The fumble cost Minnesota a chance at a field goal to tie it, and allowed the Cardinals to preserve a victory in a huge game for both teams.

As a result, the Cardinals now have become only the second team to officially clinch a playoff berth, which is the second season in a row that they have managed to do that. It is also the third straight winning season for the franchise, which had a long history of being a relative basket case for many years, although that has changed with coach Arias at the helm.

For the Vikings, this is one of a string of recent setbacks that has seen them drop from being a top contender in the NFC themselves. At one point looking like the second seed with a shot to overtake the Carolina Panthers as the top seed. Now, they are 8-5, and although they would still qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today, it is no longer quite the sure lock that it appeared to be a mere three or four weeks ago.