EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Pads were on the Vikings shoulders, but the chips that have been there most of the season weren't Sunday against the Seahawks.
"It didn't seem like we were a team that played with that chip yesterday. I think it's extremely important for us to get that chip back," tight end Kyle Rudolph said. "That's what makes us good: proving people wrong.
"People telling us we can't do stuff, that's kind of what's fueled everyone in this organization to get to the point that we're at," Rudolph continued. "Hopefully getting our noses rubbed in it yesterday helps bring that chip back and we can go out to Arizona and play like that Thursday night."
The Vikings must regain that edge and recover mentally and physically from a 38-7 home loss before visiting the Cardinals (10-2).
Brian Robison said players got a head start on reviewing film and put in extra rehab efforts to try "to get your body back."
"Everything is more condensed. You don't have the time to get your body healed back and get it totally 100 percent throughout the week, but they've got the same thing to deal with," Robison said. "It's tough but at the end of the day, you've got two teams that are going on a short week so they're dealing with the same things we are."
Minnesota (8-4) struggled on offense, defense and special teams to lose its second home game in a row on a day were a lapse in one phase created a bigger problem for another.
The offense struggled to sustain drives early, running eight plays for a net of three yards in the first quarter. The defense allowed touchdown drives of 81 and 98 yards before an interception positioned the Seahawks for a 20-yard TD and a 21-0 lead with 1:04 left in the first half.
"We just need to worry about doing our job against Arizona," defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd said. "We're not a bad team. We've just got to keep playing ball.
"I think we shot ourselves in the foot and we need to do a better job of playing together as a unit, as a team," Floyd added.
The defense finished the game minus four starters. Linval Joseph and Andrew Sendejo were no-gos from the get-go. Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith suffered injuries in the first quarter.
This matchup will be important for positioning in the NFC Playoffs.
The Cardinals currently have the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye along with Carolina. The Vikings are second in the NFC North and would be the first Wild Card team in the field. Currently, the first Wild Card team would visit the winner of the NFC East in the first round.
