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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12/7/15 http://twitter.com/nfl345

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PREVIEW: AT CARDINALS

Week 14 begins on Thursday night on NFL Network (8:25 PM ET) with the (10-2) hosting the MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-4) at Stadium in Arizona.

Arizona aims for their seventh consecutive win following a 27-3 victory over St. Louis.

“We’re still looking to improve,” says Cardinals head coach . “We have to make sure we are improving each week. There is time to look back on the journey and enjoy it but this isn’t it, especially with a game coming on Thursday night.”

Arizona had eight catches for 55 yards in last week’s game. In 12 seasons, Fitzgerald has 1,000 career receptions, the 11th player in NFL history to accomplish the feat. He also became the youngest player all-time to reach the milestone (32 years, 97 days).

“The personal stuff is all good, but I’ve done all the personal stuff already, like the Pro Bowls,” says Fitzgerald. “That stuff is great but when your team is having success – the only thing I need, personally for me, to feel like my career is fulfilled is a championship. Each win gets us a step closer, and that’s what it’s about.”

Cardinals rookie DAVID JOHNSON (Round 3, No. 86 overall) rushed for 99 yards and added a reception in Arizona’s victory. Johnson joined Pro Football Hall of Famer as the only rookies in NFL history with at least four rushing , four receiving touchdowns and a kick-return touchdown in a season.

Entering Thursday, Johnson has scored a touchdown in three straight games and his nine total touchdowns leads NFL rookies.

The rookies with the most touchdowns this season:

RECEIVING RUSHING KICK-RETURN PLAYER TEAM TOUCHDOWNS TOUCHDOWNS TOUCHDOWNS TOTAL David Johnson Arizona 4 4 1 9 Jeremy Langford 6 1 0 7 Karlos Williams Buffalo 5 2 0 7 St. Louis 6 0 0 6

Minnesota aims to rebound following a 38-7 loss to Seattle.

Vikings wide receiver-kick returner had a 101-yard kick-return touchdown in the game, the fourth of his career. Patterson now has nine career kickoff returns of at least 50 yards, the most in franchise history. Patterson also has 12 career games with at least 100 kickoff return yards, tied with DAVID PALMER for the most such games in franchise history.

On defense, recorded three tackles and two sacks, while safety ANTONE EXUM, JR. had five tackles, a forced and fumble recovery against the Seahawks.

“We have no choice but to move past it quickly,” says Vikings . “We have a game in four days and we can’t let this loss linger into the next week, so we want to put this game in the past and shift our focus to Arizona. We’re getting ready to face a pretty good Arizona team, so we just have to make adjustments, get guys healthy and come to play on Thursday.”

Entering Thursday’s game, the Vikings have won 11 of the past 14 matchups against the Cardinals.

Minnesota running back , who leads with 1,182 rushing yards, has averaged 118.7 rushing yards per game in his past three games against Arizona. Peterson has also scored six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving) against the Cardinals in those contests.

Peterson is also tied for second in the league with eight rushing touchdowns. With two rushing touchdowns on Thursday, Peterson would join Pro Football Hall of Famer (eight) and LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON (nine) as the only players in NFL history to rush for 10 touchdowns in at least eight different seasons.

WEEK 14 – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-4) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (10-2)

SERIES VIKINGS CARDINALS THURS. RECORD 11-9 8-20-2 SERIES LEADER 13-10 STREAKS 11 of past 14 COACHES VS. OPP. Mike Zimmer: 0-0 Bruce Arians: 0-0 LAST WEEK L 38-7 vs. Seahawks W 27-3 at Rams LAST GAME 10/21/12: Cardinals 14 at Vikings 21. Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson rushes for 153 yards & TD. Vikings S Harrison Smith records 31-yard INT-TD. LAST GAME AT SITE 12/6/09: Cardinals 30, Vikings 17. Arizona QB throws for 285 yards & 3 TDs. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald has 8 receptions for 143 yards & TD. REFEREE BROADCAST NFLN (6:25 PM MT): Jim Nantz, , Tracy Wolfson (field reporter). Westwood One: , Tim Ryan. SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 83 (Min), 81 (Ari). XM: 88 (WW1), 225 (Min), 226 (Ari). STATS PASSING Bridgewater: 225-347-2398-8-8-83.0 Palmer: 267-418-3693-29-9-106.3 RUSHING Peterson: 245-1182-4.8-8 C. Johnson: 196-814-4.2-3 RECEIVING Diggs (R): 42-626-14.9-2 Fitzgerald: 91-1047-11.5-7 OFFENSE 315.8 419.5 TAKE/GIVE +3 +3 DEFENSE 342.3 316.8 SACKS Griffen: 7.5 Freeney: 3 INTs Newman: 3 R. Johnson: 5 PUNTING Locke: 41.7 Butler: 42.6 KICKING Walsh: 92 (20/23 PAT; 24/29 FG) Catanzaro: 108 (42/45 PAT; 22/24 FG) NOTES VIKINGS: QB TEDDY BRIDGEWATER has won 6 of past 8 starts…In past 3 meetings, RB ADRIAN PETERSON has 356 rush yards (118.7 per game), 425 scrimmage yards (141.7 per game) & 6 TDs (5 rush, 1 rec.). Since entering NFL in 2007, leads league with 11,372 rush yards & 94 rush TDs. Leads NFL with 1,182 rush yards…WR-KR CORDARRELLE PATTERSON had 101-yard KR-TD last week, 4th career KR-TD. WR leads NFC rookies with 626 rec. yards. WR MIKE WALLACE had 3 catches for 118 yards & TD (95 yards) in only game vs. Az (10/23/11 with Pit.)…DE BRIAN ROBISON has 5.5 sacks & 2 FFs in past 2 meetings, incl. 3.5 sacks & FF in last game vs. Az. Had 2 sacks last week. S HARRISON SMITH had 31-yard INT-TD in last meeting. DE EVERSON GRIFFEN has 17.5 sacks in his past 23...CARDINALS: Have won 6 in row…QB has won 23 of past 27 starts & 8 of past 9 at home. Has 29 pass TDs, 1 shy of team record (30, KURT WARNER in 2008)…RB DAVID JOHNSON leads NFL rookies with 9 TDs & joined HOFer GALE SAYERS as only rookies with 4+ rush TD, 4+ rec. TD & KR TD. RB had 35-yard TD run last week, 1st career TD…WR LARRY FITZGERALD is youngest in NFL history to reach 1,000 catches. Has catch in 182 consecutive games, incl. playoffs. Since entering NFL in 2004, has 105 rec. TDs (incl. playoffs), most in NFL. WR JOHN BROWN has 11 catches for 212 yards (106 per game) in past 2. WR has 3 100-yard games in past 4…Are 3rd in NFL with 16 INTs, led by S (5) & (4). CB has INT in 2 of past 3 on Thurs. LB has 3 sacks in 2 games vs. Min.