Cardinals lose at Minnesota, 31-26

MINNEAPOLIS -The Cardinals were living in the past Sunday. Arizona coach Dennis Green walked the sidelines in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, like he did so many times for 10 years with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Cards recovered an onside kick and nearly pulled off a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass, evoking memories of the team’s miracle win against the same Vikings in 2003.

And the Cardinals threw the ball all over the field, didn’t run it and couldn’t score offensive touchdowns — a scene straight out of 2005.

It made for yet another road loss, this time by a 31-26 score to the Vikings in front of a sellout crowd of 63,483.

It also left some questions after the Cardinals’ $30 million running back, Edgerrin James, had just four carries and didn’t play much of the game because he is not used in many of the Cards’ passing packages. The Cardinals threw 51 passes but ran the ball just six times — and one was a scramble by quarterback Matt Leinart.

“We expected to come and throw, but we didn’t expect to throw that much,” receiver Anquan Boldin said. “At least, I didn’t.”

Given the Vikings’ top-ranked run defense, the Cardinals (2-9) planned all week to lean on the passing game. But Green had also said last week that was no reason to abandon the run.

Instead, Green said afterward, “I changed my mind during the course of the game.”

Perhaps Green was influenced when James, who reeled off a 14-yard gain on his first carry, fumbled the ball away on his second. But James essentially disappeared, finishing with 15 rushing yards total.

“I’m not trippin’,” James said, although he politely declined to say anything else and clearly remains frustrated with the direction of both the team and his role on it.

Not surprisingly, Leinart ended up with career highs in attempts (51) and completions (31) and yards (405) — the latter total being an NFL rookie record. Boldin and hometown product Larry Fitzgerald had equally big games. Fitzgerald hauled in 11 catches for 172 yards, while Boldin had nine for 140.

“It is tough when one of our best players (James) is on the sideline all game, but the way we were attacking them, the throws, they were working,” Leinart said. “I was just doing what was called.”

Until Boldin hauled in a touchdown with 58 seconds left and the Cards down 12, the offense had not reached the end zone.

In fact, until that point, a pair of stunning 99-yard scoring plays for the Cardinals — J.J. Arrington’s opening kickoff return and Adrian Wilson’s fumble return — meant both the special teams and defense had touchdowns and the offense didn’t.

“It was the same thing as last year,” Fitzgerald said. “We moved the ball between the 20s effectively, a lot of times in big chunks, but we couldn’t punch it home.”

That wasn’t a problem for the Vikings (5-6), who hadn’t scored more than 20 points in four straight losses. Minnesota, which equaled Arizona’s 412 yards of total offense, was much more balanced, getting 136 yards rushing from Chester Taylor and three touchdown passes from embattled quarterback Brad Johnson.

“That’s what happens when you run the ball five times,” Vikings safety Dwight Smith said of the Cardinals. “You’re not going to put up a lot of points because you’ve got no room for error.”

It didn’t help the Cardinals that they turned the ball over five times, while Minnesota’s only turnover — the Taylor fumble Wilson took all the way back — was disputed.

And still the Cards had a last-gasp chance.

The Cards had an onside kick actually work, giving Arizona the ball at its own 44-yard line. A 20-yard pass to Fitzgerald gave the Cards three chances from the Minnesota 36.

Had one of the passes connected, it would have been shades of Josh McCown-to-Nate Poole that stunned the Vikings at the end of the 2003 season.

But a prayer to Fitzgerald at the Vikings 5 with 10 seconds left was ruled out of

bounds. It was as close as the Cards got.

It was also a bitter loss for Green, who fell to 3-18 on the road and 13-30 overall since making the Cardinals his next coaching stop after leaving Minnesota.

A pass-happy day ending in disappointment “reminded me of last year a little bit,” Boldin said.

As with most flashbacks with the Cardinals, they are memories best left buried.