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MINNEAPOLIS – When Kirk Cousins fell on Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals line of defense was threatening.
He totaled four bags from the Minnesota quarterback, including a Chandler Jones thimble bag that resulted in a return touchdown for 36 yards by safety Budda Baker. When the Vikings ran the ball, the defense did not perform as well.
Minnesota racked up 195 rushing yards at 6.1 yards per run, led by running back Latavius Murray (155 yards and one touchdown). The Vikings were not running, Dalvin Cook, but the holes were big enough for any running back to be successful.
"The defense of the race has been a problem all year," said defensive tackle Corey Peters. "At some point, do guys worry? At the end of the day, everyone has a responsibility and must look in the mirror and say, "Did I do what I had to do in this room?" It's reality. The defense of the race is quite simple. Everyone has a hole. "
These problems masked the encouraging day of the race. Peters had two sacks in the game, Jones a year and a half and Markus Golden, a half-sack – his first since returning to the field after his loss to ACL last season.
When the line did not arrive at the Cousins, he knew very well when he was going to throw. The defense has beaten more than half a dozen passes.
"It's something we're working on in practice," said Jones. "Often, the trends that we observed during the study of the film were the bullet that came out quickly. If we can not go to the quarterback, how can we help the defense? And it is by raising the hand. It is something we are working on and it has been a success. "
Wilks saw the bright spot with constant pressure, but was blinded by what he called the "unacceptable" effort against the race.
"There are things to build on," says Wilks, "but a lot to fix."
Jones, who has just won the defensive player of the week award in the NFC, again dominated, finishing with five tackles, one and a half bag and a pair of hits. Still, he was unhappy after the loss.
"I'm never happy," Jones said. "We left a lot of bags in the field … myself. There are some pieces I left there. We just have to sharpen. "
Peters felt the same. He is not often a brave defensive tackle who gets a pair of bags, but he was not thrilled with this individual success.
"I wish I could enjoy it," said Peters. "I would trade it for 50 yards on the ground. If this happens, we win the game. I'm mad, honestly. As a nasal tackler, the only thing that really concerns me is the anti-precipitation defense. I think that's part of the reason they're asking me to come here, so it's just embarrassing. It's not sufficient.
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