Cardinals vs. Vikings final score: Minnesota holds out for 21-14 win in defensive battle

The Minnesota Vikings couldn't do much other than hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson, but that proved to be enough in a 21-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Without Kevin Kolb and Beanie Wells, the Cardinals struggled to put up points against Minnesota's defense, allowing the Vikings to win despite an inability to pass the ball.

Peterson was absolutely huge for the Vikings all afternoon, contributing 159 of the team's 209 total yards on the day. With Christian Ponder struggling to complete passes, the Vikings needed their star running back to come through with a big day, and Peterson did: 23 carries for 153 yards, two catches for six yards and one touchdown.

The Cardinals managed to dominate time of possession while accumulating significantly more total offense, but a pair of turnovers by quarterback John Skelton would prove to be extremely costly. In the first quarter, Skelton led Arizona into the red zone before losing a fumble, and he followed that up in the second half by throwing a pick-six to double Minnesota's lead.

In the final two minutes of the game, the Cardinals scored a late touchdown to trim Minnesota's lead to one score, but the Vikings managed to run out the clock after recovering Arizona's onside kick attempt.

Fantasy studs/duds: Peterson is the obvious stud of the day with 159 total yards and a touchdown, but Arizona running back LaRod Stephens-Howling nearly matched the All-Pro's big numbers: 104 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards and one score.

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Odds: The Vikings were favored to win by 4.5 points, so they did manage to cover the spread.

Injury info: There weren't any major injuries in Sunday's game.

Next up: Next week, the Vikings are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, while the Cardinals look to end a three-game winning streak against the 49ers on Monday night.

For more on odds and gambling, check out SB Nation's odds page.

The Minnesota Vikings are back in the win column after they defeated the Arizona Cardinals 21-14 in Week 7. Despite a weak offensive performance, particularly in the second half, from Christian Ponder, Adrian Peterson rushed for 150 yards and rookie safety Harrison Smith had an interception return for a touchdown that proved to be more than enough for the Vikings to win.