Divisional Round: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings (Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff: Sun January 10, 1999 at 4:15pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.[1][2]
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Arizona Cardinals traveling to Minnesota Vikings at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Arizona Cardinals versus Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Arizona Cardinals-Minnesota Vikings cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 8-8 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-9 | L5 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-10 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 12-4 | W6 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-13 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 14-2 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-8 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-8 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-9 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 14-2 | W9 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12-4 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-10 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4-12 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4-12 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 15-1 | W8 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11-5 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L4 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 9-7 | -- |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-10 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-13 | L3 |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 07142121 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 724344141 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Leroy Hoard 1 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Andrew Glover 15 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick) | 0-14 |
| Vikings | Gary Anderson 34 yard field goal | 0-17 |
| Cardinals | Mario Bates 1 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick) | 7-17 |
| Vikings | Leroy Hoard 16 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick) | 7-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Mario Bates 1 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick) | 14-24 |
| Vikings | Gary Anderson 20 yard field goal | 14-27 |
| Vikings | Randy Moss 2 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick) | 14-34 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Mario Bates 1 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick) | 21-34 |
| Vikings | Leroy Hoard 6 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick) | 21-41 |
Minnesota Vikings defeated Arizona Cardinals 41-21 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in the Divisional Round. The final scoring play was Vikings: Leroy Hoard 6 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick). Top line of the day: Jake Plummer: 242 pass yards on 23-of-41, 0 TD, 2 INT. Minnesota Vikings move on to the conference final.[1][2]
Minnesota Vikings walked out of Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as the team that survived a Divisional Round Arizona Cardinals will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 41-21. The final scoring play came from Vikings: Leroy Hoard 6 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Minnesota Vikings move on to a conference championship.
Minnesota Vikings 41, Arizona Cardinals 21. Round: Divisional Round. Attendance: 63760. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers:
- Jake Plummer: 242 pass yards on 23-of-41, 0 TD, 2 INT
- Robert Smith: 124 rush yards on 19 carries
- Rob Moore: 6 catches for 91 yards
Divisional Round, played at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Final: Arizona Cardinals 21, Minnesota Vikings 41, with Minnesota Vikings taking the result by 20. **First quarter**
- Vikings: Leroy Hoard 1 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick)
Second quarter
- Vikings: Andrew Glover 15 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick)
- Vikings: Gary Anderson 34 yard field goal
- Cardinals: Mario Bates 1 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick)
- Vikings: Leroy Hoard 16 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick)
Third quarter
- Cardinals: Mario Bates 1 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick)
- Vikings: Gary Anderson 20 yard field goal
- Vikings: Randy Moss 2 yard pass from Randall Cunningham ( Gary Anderson kick)
Fourth quarter
- Cardinals: Mario Bates 1 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick)
- Vikings: Leroy Hoard 6 yard rush ( Gary Anderson kick)
Top performers
- Jake Plummer: 242 pass yards on 23-of-41, 0 TD, 2 INT
- Robert Smith: 124 rush yards on 19 carries
- Rob Moore: 6 catches for 91 yards
| Cardinals | Vikings | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 23 | 26 |
| Total Yards | 316 | 416 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 23/41 | 17/28 |
| Pass yards | 242 | 236 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 8 |
| Net pass yards | 242 | 228 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 23 | 36 |
| Rush yards | 74 | 188 |
| Rush TD | 3 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 13 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 68 | 38 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | |||||
| Jake Plummer | 23/41 | 242 | 0 | 2 | |
| MIN | |||||
| Randall Cunningham | 17/27 | 236 | 3 | 1 | |
| David Palmer | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | ||||
| Adrian Murrell | 15 | 62 | 0 | 14 |
| Jake Plummer | 4 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Mario Bates | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| MIN | ||||
| Robert Smith | 19 | 124 | 0 | 27 |
| Leroy Hoard | 11 | 44 | 2 | 11 |
| David Palmer | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| Randall Cunningham | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Charles Evans | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | ||||
| Rob Moore | 6 | 91 | 0 | 23 |
| Adrian Murrell | 3 | 52 | 0 | 39 |
| Larry Centers | 6 | 45 | 0 | 11 |
| Frank Sanders | 4 | 30 | 0 | 12 |
| Eric Metcalf | 2 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Chris Gedney | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Johnny McWilliams | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| MIN | ||||
| Cris Carter | 5 | 82 | 0 | 45 |
| Randy Moss | 4 | 73 | 1 | 45 |
| David Palmer | 2 | 29 | 0 | 21 |
| Andrew Glover | 3 | 22 | 1 | 15 |
| Leroy Hoard | 1 | 16 | 1 | 16 |
| Robert Smith | 2 | 14 | 0 | 12 |
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