The Minnesota Vikings started their third preseason game with a bang Saturday, and ended with one, too, defeating the visiting Arizona Cardinals 20-9 in Minneapolis.

Running back Dalvin Cook set a team preseason record with an 85-yard run for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 7-3 lead with 7:10 left in the first quarter. His only other carry was a 3-yard gain.

Veteran starting quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled, finishing 3-of-13 passing for 35 yards with a passer rating of 39.6. He was sacked twice after the offensive line had not allowed him to be sacked in the first two exhibition games. But backup Kyle Sloter came to the rescue in the fourth quarter, engineering two scoring drives, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to fullback Khari Blasingame on fourth-and-2 with 50 seconds to go.

Sloter completed 6 of 7 passes for 102 yards for the Vikings, who are 3-0 during the preseason. Sean Mannion went 6-of-9 passing for 57 yards for Minnesota, which did not toss an interception.

Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, completed 14 of 21 passes for 137 yards, but could only lead Arizona to field goals during his first half of action. The Cardinals are 1-2 in the preseason.

--Field Level Media