Cardinals defense can't stop run, but make passing game of Vikings look pedestrian

Adrian Peterson came out on the field against the Cardinals on Sunday and showed everyone that he is no longer feeling the effects of the knee surgery he underwent just a few short months ago. After tearing his ACL during the 2011-12 regular season, Peterson came out and rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against Arizona.

Truly, this isn't a surprise. He is one of the best backs in the league.

What does come as a bit of a shocker is how poorly Christian Ponder did. Check out this stat from AZ Cardinals writer, Darren Urban:

The 43 net passing yards the Cards allowed to the Vikings today was the fewest allowed by a team in the NFL this season. #AZvsMIN

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) October 22, 2012

So why didn't the Cardinals focus on stopping the run more, allowing Ponder to beat them? If it were me, I would have been stacking players in the box, daring the sophomore QB to throw against Patrick Peterson and the rest of the secondary.

It seems that shutting down Ponder was their main task, but I personally think that was wrong choice. What are your thoughts? Was it simply just a bad day for Ponder or did the defense target the wrong guy? Share with us in the comments section below.

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