Unsung players become unlikely playmakers

Like a golfer overcoming the yips, the Vikings finally made some putts that should have chased the mental demons from between their ears during the second half of Sunday's 34-10 win over the Cardinals.

While blowing halftime leads of 10, 17 and 20 points the first three weeks, the Vikings yacked on and on about someone needing to just step up and make plays in critical second-half situations.

Raise your hand if you thought the three biggest second-half playmakers would be Devin Aromashodu, Asher Allen and Jamarca Sanford.

Yeah, me neither.

The Vikings led 28-3 at halftime in what had to feel like the shakiest 25-point lead in NFL history. Then Beanie Wells scored and it's 28-10 midway through the third quarter and one could taste the panic inside the Metrodome. Kinda like that 3-footer for birdie that you just know you're going to miss.

The Vikings get the ball back and four plays later, Jim Kleinsasser is called for holding. Suddenly, the same script that led to the three blown losses in Weeks 1-3 is being followed to the letter.

But that's when Aromashodu made what I sensed was the biggest play of the game. Granted, there were a lot of big plays, but considering what's happened to this team in the second half this season, that play was huge. Aromashodu's 60-yard catch and run changed the feeling in the entire building. It also set up a field goal and a 31-10 lead.

If the Cardinals convert and make it a 31-17 game early in the fourth, the mood shifts back to that knee-knocking three-foot putt. But the 5-9, 194-pound Allen knifed in from his slot position and undercut the 6-2, 229-pound Wells short of the first down on the last play of the third quarter. It's the kind of play Antoine Winfield makes routinely and that had to feel good for coach Leslie Frazier since Winfield missed the game because of a strained neck.

Allen easily had the best game of his three-year career with an interception and six solo tackles. His fourth-and-1 stop allowed the Vikings to take 3 more minutes off the clock. And when Arizona got the ball back, it was at its own 33.

Cornerback Chris Cook also had the best game of his two-year career. He had a diving pass defense and didn't allow Larry Fitzgerald to catch a ball while lined up across from him. And free safety Husain Abdullah's instincts and tackling continues to get better. His 3-yard tackle for loss on Arizona's second series helped force a punt and give the Vikings the ball back at the Arizona 18.

And, finally, Sanford's first two career interceptions prevented anything crazy from happening in the fourth quarter. The second one extended the lead to 24 points.

"It lets us know that we are as good as we think we can be," safety Husain Abdullah said. "But now we have to prove it game after game. We can't just do it this one week."