The Minnesota Vikings entered today’s game 0-1 after a disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Facing a better team in the Arizona Cardinals, the purple and gold looked better but came up short once again after a missed field goal by Greg Joseph.

One of the biggest plagues for the Vikings in Week 1 was the number of penalties the team had. After causing 12 penalties for 116 yards, Minnesota was able to cut that down to three, for 16 yards. There were a lot of reasons Minnesota lost to the Bengals, but the penalties were one of the key reasons they were unable to come out on top in overtime.

Minnesota’s offense didn’t look awful last week, but they looked a lot better against the Cardinals. The Vikings started the game with an 11-yard run from Dalvin Cook and followed that up with a 64-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn. The former Miami Hurricane has burst onto the scene early this season and continues to prove why he’s a legitimate threat on offense.

The Cardinals answered quickly with an impressive touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to DeAndre Hopkins.

Minnesota ended up hitting on two more touchdowns to Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson after Arizona tied things up.

Not only was Minnesota spreading the ball around on offense, but the Cardinals couldn’t stop Cook, as he scampered for 131 yards.

The defense had trouble containing Murray, and it usually led to good fortune for Arizona. Because of the missed extra point, questionable special teams call, the Vikings entered the half down by one.

As the second half continued, the game went back-and-forth, and the Vikings and Cardinals didn’t show any signs of slowing down. The game as expected went down to the wire, but Joseph was unable to hit a 37-yard field goal for the win. Minnesota has had kicking issues in the past, and this was just another gut punch.

Positional Grades:

Quarterback:

• Kirk Cousins wasn’t awful in Week 1, but he wasn’t great either. This week he stepped up and looked good. He was getting out of the pocket and making crisp throws. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns.

Grade: A

Running Back:

Cook couldn’t be stopped today, rushing for over 100 yards. After a rare performance in which he wasn’t his usual self, the former second-round pick came out in a big way this week. Alexander Mattison wasn’t much of a factor but did have a huge first down late in the fourth quarter.

Grade: A

Wide Receiver:

The Wide Receiver core played a huge role in Cousins’ performance today. Jefferson has been quiet early on, but he came through for his first touchdown of the season. One reason he’s been limited thus far has been the emergence of Osborn – who was great again today. Thielen has been a touchdown machine throughout his career, and he’s already caught three this season.

Grade: A-

Tight End:

Tyler Conklin came through on a clutch third down in the second quarter, but he didn’t have much of a role other than that.

Grade: C

Offensive Line:

The offensive line was awful in Week 1, but they looked a lot better this week. Minnesota lowered its penalties and gave up just one sack. They were also a big proponent in Cook’s big game.

Grade: A+

Defensive Line:

• It’s not an easy task to contain Kyler Murray, but the Vikings’ defensive line failed many times at getting to the quarterback. They finished with three sacks, two of those coming from Danielle Hunter.

Grade: B-

Linebackers:

• The linebacker group could have helped the defensive line more, but Eric Kendricks showed up when it mattered most and Nick Vigil had a pick-six.

Grade: A

Secondary:

• It’s not easy to stop, or even slow Murray down for that matter, but the Vikings’ secondary was awful. They allowed Murray to go off for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Bashaud Breeland continued to get burned, but Xavier Woods picked off Murray on a deep throw near the end zone. Minnesota will need to figure things out quickly before facing Russell Wilson next.

Grade: F

Special Teams:

• Joseph converted on two 52-yard field goals, which is great, but he missed an extra point that would have had the game tied, and a game-winning field goal. The pain continues.

Grade: D

What’s Next?

The Vikings will play their first home game against the 1-1 Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. Minnesota had its hands full with a mobile quarterback in Week 2, so it’ll be interesting to see how they work to contain Wilson.