TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) - The Minnesota Vikings appeared headed for the playoffs. Instead, they were left shaking their heads in sheer disbelief.
Josh McCown threw an amazing 28-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Poole on 4th-and-25 on the game's final play as the Arizona Cardinals rallied for an 18-17 victory over the Vikings, who let the NFC North Division title slip away.
"We lost the division because of one play," Vikings coach Mike Tice said. "We didn't finish the deal. We made enough plays to take the lead, we didn't make enough plays to close it out. If you are going to be a champion you have to close it out. We didn't, so we lost the game."
The Vikings (9-7) looked to be well on their way to winning their first division title since 2000, holding a 17-6 lead in the waning moments against one of the NFL's laughingstocks.
But McCown and the Cardinals played a cruel joke, scoring 12 points in the final 1:54 off the contest to pull off a stunning comeback.
McCown found Steve Bush with a two-yard touchdown pass with 1:54 left on a fourth down play, pulling the Cardinals within 17-12. Then, Damien Anderson recovered an onside kick at his own 39.
Vikings cornerback Denard Walker committed a 30-yard interference penalty and McCown completed consecutive passes and Emmitt Smith had a short run to the Minnesota 9.
McCown was sacked on consecutive plays and, without a timeout and just scrambling to get off the final play, the second-year player from Sam Houston State made what will go down as one of the most memorable plays in NFL history.
McCown scrambled to his right and rifled a pass for Poole - a second-year wide receiver from Marshall. Poole made a leaping catch in the right corner, getting one foot down inbounds before being shoved out of bounds by Walker and Eric Kelly.
"A lot of things go through your head when you're out of the pocket and know you're in a do-or-die situation," said McCown, who completed 20-of-33 passes for 224 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. "You know the ball has to go up but want to put it in a safe spot to make a play. You guys are probably surprised but I am not, Nate does this every day. He was just waiting for an opportunity."
"Josh got flushed out and we have that feeling that you really you can't put into words," Poole said. "It is that feeling you get with a quarterback and the receiver. He was able to put it right there. I knew I was going to make a play on it when the corner turned his back and lost track of Josh."
With a wild celebration already underway for the Cardinals and with many Vikings just dropping on their backs with stunned looks on their faces, the play came under review. But the call stood when it was ruled Poole had possession of the ball.
It was a colossal collapse for the Vikings, who became the first team since the 1978 Washington Redskins to start 6-0 and miss the playoffs.
"It is terrible to fight hard all year and lose it like that," said Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who completed 18-of-28 passes for 197 yards, one touchdown and one interception. "I couldn't believe what happened like it happened. It is just like a nightmare."
The Vikings' loss allowed the Green Bay Packers, who rolled to a 31-3 rout of Denver, to win the North title.
It was a memorable finish for Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis, who is expected to be fired. The Cardinals (4-12) stopped a seven-game losing streak.
"I have no idea about my future," said McGinnis, who owns an unimpressive 16-33 record as Cardinals coach. "There has been a lot of speculation but I have no idea. It never really crossed my mind."
