Following a last-second missed field goal by kicker Greg Joseph, the Minnesota Vikings lost their Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
Less than a minute into their game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings were already off to a much better start than how they began their Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Vikings only needed two plays in Arizona for their offense to find the end zone for the first time in the contest. After Kirk Cousins tossed a 64-yard touchdown to K.J. Osborn in the first quarter, the optimism surrounding Minnesota’s chances to get a win on Sunday certainly kicked up a notch.
However, as is the case with almost everything regarding the Vikings, the offense’s hot start and overall impressive performance during the entire matchup was too good to be true. It was all just a ruse to allow Minnesota’s fan base to get their heart ripped out by a kicker for the millionth time.
Inconsistent kicker haunts the Minnesota Vikings again in loss to Arizona Cardinals
The Vikings did just about all they could on Sunday to get a win over a tough Arizona team. Minnesota’s offense generated over 400 total yards while their defense forced two turnovers and racked up three sacks.
All the Vikings needed to improve their record to 1-1 this season was for kicker Greg Joseph to hit a 37-yard field goal. It seemed simple enough, especially after Joseph had already hit two field-goal tries over 50 yards earlier in the contest.
But then Joseph remembered what uniform he was wearing, and his kick sailed to the right of the goalposts, giving the Cardinals a win as the clock hit zero.
Minnesota is now 0-2 for the second year in a row, and even though their performance this week was much more promising than their first game of the season, their journey to contending for a playoff spot this year just got that much harder.