Jackson, Vikings roll on road to keep edge on Bears

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Watching from the sidelines all those weeks turned out to be just what Tarvaris Jackson needed.

When he got another chance to start Sunday, everything came so much easier.

Playing in place of injured Gus Frerotte, Jackson threw for 4 touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings beat NFC West champion Arizona 35-14 to stay alone atop the NFC North.

"People ask me did watching Gus help," Jackson said. "I can't really point out exactly what helped. But I felt like I've come a long ways since I've been watching him the last what, 12 or 13 weeks."

Adrian Peterson rushed for 165 yards on 28 carries, his franchise-record ninth 100-yard game of the season for the Vikings (9-5), who won their fourth in a row.

In the process, Peterson broke Minnesota's single-season rushing record with two games to play. The Vikings can clinch the division title with another victory or a loss by the Bears.

Bernard Berrian scored Minnesota's first 2 touchdowns - on an 82-yard punt return and 41-yard reception - as the Vikings led 21-0 in the first quarter and 28-0 at the half.

Jackson, who lost his starting job two games into the season, had touchdown passes of 41, 6, 11 and 59 yards. The last was to Bobby Wade in the waning seconds of the third quarter after Arizona had cut the lead to 28-14. Jackson was 11-for-17 for 163 yards.

"He looked real good," Peterson said. "He looked poised, he looked comfortable out there. He made some big plays."

But don't even ask coach Brad Childress about whether Jackson will start even when Frerotte is healthy. A reporter didn't even get the question out before Childress cut him off.

"Don't even go there," Childress said. "It's a nice luxury to have two guys. We've said all the way along we're probably going to need a couple to get it done."

Arizona (8-6) fell flat a week after clinching its first division title in 33 years. Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett called it "a lackadaisical effort."

The Cardinals lost at home for the second time this season in the team's most one-sided defeat there in Ken Whisenhunt's two seasons as coach.

"It appeared to me in the game that we did not come out ready to play," Whisenhunt said. "That's something we had concerns about because we hadn't handled success that well in the past."

Minnesota put pressure on Kurt Warner all afternoon to hold down an Arizona passing game ranked No. 2 in the NFL. Warner was 29 of 45 for 270 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

Jerheme Urban did break free on a 50-yard scoring pass play from Warner on the third play of the second half to make it 28-7. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie blocked Ryan Longwell's 35-yard field-goal try, and Rod Hood returned it 68 yards for a touchdown that cut the lead to 28-14.

But there would be no comeback. Wade faked out cornerback Hood and was wide open down the right sideline for 59 yards and the score that made it a 21-point game.