NFL Insider: Arizona coach finds out playing for field goals isn’t good enough against Vikings

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said three things among his many words after his team’s weekly Sunday survival meeting concluded with yet another one-score escape.

1. Games are “hard to win.”

Somewhere, Robert Saleh, Dennis Allen and the lonely timeout Matt Eberflus never called are nodding.

2. The Cardinals are still a “playoff-caliber team” despite having just wrestled defeat from the jaws of victory at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Somewhere, the 6-6 Cardinals, the 6-6 Rams, the 6-6 Buccaneers, the 6-6 Falcons and, heck, maybe even the 5-7 49ers and 4-8 Saints are nodding because “playoff-caliber” ain’t what it used to be. It won’t take greatness or even very good goodness to win the NFC West or the NFC South, claim the fourth seed and probably play host to a better Vikings team seeded fifth.

3. The Cardinals “made it hard on us” to win.

Well …

Yes and no.

Coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis — both former Vikings assistants under Mike Zimmer — did do a great job making it appear as if the Vikings had never seen an unconventional blitz in their lives.

That was hard for the Vikings.

But …

Gannon also played for field goals like it was 1999.

That was a football godsend for O’Connell, a heads-up to future Vikings’ opponents — including the Cardinals should these teams meet again — and further fuel to the wide-brush notion that defensive guys as head coaches are just too darn conservative (Sorry, Zim) at a time when NFL coaching has never been more aggressive or more richly rewarded for that offensive mentality.

The Vikings had nine possessions Sunday before their victory formation. O’Connell, among a select few NFL Coach of the Year front-runners, spent the first six possessions getting booed while he fumbled with and fired blanks from his bazooka of an offense.

There was 6:59 left in the third quarter. The Vikings had 87 yards on 28 plays (3.1 average), seven first downs and two field goals. Sam Darnold was nine of 14 for 79 yards (5.6 per attempt).

Here’s what Gannon had been doing to that point …

After the game, the Arizona media essentially asked Gannon, “What the heck!?”

“All along we were going to get up and slow clock it there and kick the field goal,” Gannon said while admitting there was time for a quick throw into the end zone. “I like how the first half ended a lot.”

If you say so.

Any thoughts on going for 2?

“There was no thought there,” Gannon said. “I liked where the game was.”

Unfortunately for Gannon, that’s exactly when K.O. got his bazooka unjammed and began blowing holes in Gannon’s battleship. The Vikings’ next three possessions: 187 yards on 22 plays (8.5), 12 first downs, two touchdowns and a field goal. Darnold: 12 of 17 for 156 yards (9.2) and two touchdowns.

As the tidal wave was upon him Gannon had a couple more chances to be aggressive leading 19-16. Penalties pushed the Cardinals from first-and-goal at the 5 to second-and-goal at the 25. The Cardinals ran the ball, threw short of the sticks and faced fourth-and-goal at the 4.

Take the field goal, six-point lead and hand the ball back to the Vikings with 3:20 left? Or try to knock out K.O. with a touchdown and an 11-point lead?

“There’s thought about [going for it],” Gannon said. “We talked about it. So be it. I’d rather they have to score a touchdown to beat us.”

Take note, future Vikings opponents. If your knockout punch is playing for field goals and one-score leads, you’ll probably be kicking them in another one of K.O.’s one-score wins.