Patience Is Key for Culpepper, Vikings

Daunte Culpepper showed the Arizona Cardinals he doesn’t rely solely on his arm and legs to win.

The Viking quarterback introduced yet another weapon--patience--in Minnesota’s 31-14 victory Sunday. He was content to pass underneath the Cardinal secondary, throwing for three touchdowns, running for another and completing 25 of 32 passes for 302 yards.

Cris Carter and Randy Moss added second-half touchdowns and Robert Smith rushed for 117 yards as Minnesota (8-2) methodically turned a 10-7 halftime lead into a 31-7 advantage.

“Their safeties were way back,” Culpepper said. “They were trying to stop us from making big plays because they didn’t think I’d be patient enough to still find a way to score.”

That’s where the Cardinals were wrong. Gone were the sophomore mistakes that led to five Culpepper interceptions in losses the previous past two weeks. He had one pass intercepted against Arizona, on an overthrown pass to Moss.

“We didn’t want to give up the big play, and they were content to go with the underneath stuff,” said Arizona’s Aeneas Williams, who got his fourth interception in six games against the Vikings. “They were very patient. They moved the ball down the field and showed some poise.”

Smith, Carter and Moss combined for 392 of the Vikings’ 464 yards.

Smith scored on a 33-yard screen pass in the first quarter. Moss caught a four-yard touchdown pass on a rollout by Culpepper in the third quarter, and Carter caught a 12-yard touchdown pass.

None was more impressive than the three-yard bootleg by Culpepper that only he and Smith knew was coming. The entire Arizona defense bit on the fake, and Culpepper was able to jog into the end zone.

“The only person who needs to know is Robert,” Culpepper said. “I looked out and nobody was there. It was six, and I was ready to go get something to drink.”

Smith ran for 117 yards in 20 carries, giving him 1,025 yards rushing. He is the first back in the team’s 40-year history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons.

Chuck Foreman had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 1975-77.

The Cardinals (3-7) scored in the first quarter with a 75-yard drive that ended in a one-yard dive by Michael Pittman.