The Minnesota Vikings were celebrating following their 34-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, and cornerback Patrick Peterson was among those celebrating the loudest.

Not only was Peterson happy to see his team win its fifth game in a row and move to 6-1 for the season, it also meant that he had played a key role in beating his former team for the first time since he left the organization after the 2020 season.

Peterson said that while he was nearing the end of his tenure with the Cardinals, someone was printing emails from a fan that said he was washed up and struggled to tackle, and leaving those letters on a chair near his locker.

The Vikings started the game in sharp fashion building a quick 14-3 lead that included a 17-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kirk Cousins. However, the Cardinals responded with a touchdown late in the first half and took a brief 16-14 lead in the third quarter before the Vikings responded with a pair of touchdowns.

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was an effective weapon for the Cardinals with 12 catches for 159 yards and spectacular one-hand TD reception, but the Vikings defense intercepted Kyler Murray twice and also recovered a fumble. Murray completed 31 of 44 passes for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he also finished as Arizona's leading rusher with 6 carries for 36 yards.

Za'Darius Smith played a huge role for the Vikings with 3.0 sacks, and he also batted down a key pass late in the fourth quarter. He was joined by the motivated Patrick Peterson, who contributed 4 tackles and 3 passes defensed to the victory.