5 things that stood out in the Vikings' win over Arizona

If the Packers lose to the Bills Sunday night, they'll be four losses behind the Vikings in the NFC North.

Another week in the books and another victory for the Minnesota Vikings, who beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-26 to give them a 6-1 record entering Week 9. 

Let's dive into five things that stood out in the victory... 

1. Za'Darius Smith is a dominant force

Anyone still wondering if Za'Darius Smith would be able to return to Pro Bowl form after missing last season with a back injury can just stop because he's been one of the, if not the most dominant pass rusher in the NFL this season. 

Smith's power and speed were on full display as he racked up three sacks, including a killer for the Cardinals as he took Kyler Murray to the ground with the Vikings up by 8 points with 27 seconds to go – and the Cards had no timeouts. 

He's up to 8.5 sacks this season, which is tied with New England's Matthew Judon for the NFL lead. 

2. The defense came up big over and over

There were 34 points on the scoreboard and the Vikings were 5-for-5 in the red zone, but it was the defense that saved the day numerous times during the 60 minutes. 

"Our coaches are preparing our guys for those critical moments," said O'Connell. "It's huge for our team. Great example of what our defense can be when our front is physical."

The front was extremely physical. Smith had three of Minnesota's four sacks and they also limited Arizona's rushing attack to 78 yards, just 3.5 yards per carry. 

O'Connell credited interceptions by Cam Bynum and Harrison Smith, Jordan Hicks' fourth down tackle to turn the Cardinals over on downs, and Patrick Peterson breaking up three passes against his former team. 

"You can go on and on, we're going to just continue to make those timely, winning plays. and then throughout the game how many of those can we make to not always make it so close in the end."

3. Greg Joseph has been bad

He's been so bad that we wrote an entirely separate piece on him. As far as Sunday's game went, Joseph had a terrible attempt on a 56-yard field goal as the first half came to end, so bad that the kick hit a defensive lineman in the head for a zero effort block. 

What was worse was Joseph banging an extra point off the upright in the fourth quarter. Had he made the PAT, the Vikings would've held a 9-point lead. Instead, it was 8 points and the Cardinals had two more possessions in which they could've tied the game. 

4. Missed opportunities and playing with fire

Up 34-26, Cam Bynum intercepted Murray with 6:55 to go in the game. Minnesota could've put the final nail in the coffin, but instead they went three-and-out when two Dalvin Cook runs went for only four yards and then Cousins got sacked when J.J. Watt blew through Ed Ingram. 

Then, still leading 34-26 with 3:25 left in the game, Patrick Peterson was flagged for a questionable pass interference call that gave the Cardinals a first down when it would've otherwise been fourth down. Four plays later Jordan Hicks made a huge tackle to turn Arizona over on downs. 

Arguably the worst mistake of the game happened immediately after Hicks made the huge tackle. With 2:45 to go and Arizona down to one timeout, Adam Thielen was called for holding on first down. That stopped the clock and the Vikings went three-and-out, giving Arizona another opportunity to score and tie the game with almost two minutes remaining. 

5. Vikings running away with the NFC North

At 6-1, the Vikings are blowing away the competition in the NFC North. The Packers (3-4) could be four games back in the loss column if they lose to the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday night. The Bears (2-6) got pounded by the Cowboys and the Lions blew a lead at home (didn't score in the second half) and lost 31-27 to the Dolphins. 

These could be the standings in the North entering Week 9: 

1. Vikings 6-1
2. Packers 3-5
3. Bears 3-5
4. Lions 1-6

A win in Washington next week would get the Vikings to 7-1 before they enter a difficult stretch with games against the Bills, Cowboys, Patriots and Jets, though three of the four are at home. 

Related: Greg Joseph is going down a dangerous Vikings kicker road

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