The Arizona Cardinals (3-4) travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings (5-1) at 1:00 pm (EST) at U.S Bank Stadium. The Vikings are a 3.5 point favorite and are given a 58.3% chance to win according to ESPN’s FPI. With that let’s take a look at what to expect from Arizona vs. Minnesota.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings enjoyed a week off, especially watching the Green Bay Packers lose. The Vikings now hold a three-game lead in the NFC North and look to extend their lead. The Vikings now look to keep their winning ways going as they host the Arizona Cardinals. A win for the Vikings put them at 6-1 and a chance at gaining a four game lead in the north as the Packers play the Bills and the Bears take on the Cowboys.
This is a critical week for the Vikings. Win and they could be looking at getting closer to locking up the north (yes, I know it’s week 8, but a four game lead is huge, and no other division has this big of a gap at the top). A loss drops the Vikings to 5-2 and shows that they didn’t take advantage of their bye week. It also starts to bring up questions about the team’s ability to win after playing a weak schedule to start the year.
What To Watch
What I’ll be watching for is any bye week adjustments and scheming made by Kevin O’Connell and his staff. The Vikings have been winning games which is great, but they’ve been inconsistent. The inconsistency isn’t week-to-week but during games as well. Minnesota has had spurts of looking phenomenal on both sides of the ball, and others when they look horrific. I’m expecting O’Connell, and Donatell to come out with a rejuvenated scheme and up their performance from winning ugly to winning convincingly. This team is close to being great, if they can find a little consistency, they may be able to get there.
Biggest Question
The biggest question I have is can the Vikings take advantage of Arizona’s weakness? What is the Cardinal’s weakness? Well, the Cardinals are a terrible first half team. They have scored 57 points (8.1 per game) in the first half this season. Compare that to their total points game of 156 or 99 points in the second half. The Vikings on the other hand have scored 82 points in the first half (13.6 per game). Compared to their total of 139 or 57 second half points. In fact, these two teams are opposite each other. One is great at scoring in the first half the other in second and vice-versa.
The Vikings will need to get a big lead going into halftime and hope they can pad their lead a little more in the second as the Cardinals have scored 99 points in the second half this season. If the Vikings fail to lead or score more than 20 points in the first half, this could spell trouble for them. Minnesota has been clutch this season, so don’t be shocked if this game gets close and it comes down to another Kirk Cousins game winning drive.
Injuries
The Minnesota Vikings have no one listed on their injury list heading into their matchup against Arizona.
Arizona
The Cardinals enter Sunday’s game against the Vikings, coming off a 42-34 win on Thursday night over the Saints. Arizona snapped their two-game skid with their win and will look to keep the momentum going against Minnesota. A win for the Cardinals on Sunday would get them to .500 and keep them in the race for the NFC west (which is wide open at the moment). A loss drops them to 3-5 and continues to raise questions about Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray.
What To Watch
What I’m watching with the Cardinals is the continuation of DeAndre Hopkins’ return. Hopkins was suspended for the first six-games for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. In his return against the Saints, Hopkins had ten receptions on 14 targets for 103 yards. Hopkins had half of Kyler Murray’s completion and yards for the game. His impact was seen immediately by his production.
The downside, it brings some concerns about the fact that he was half the passing game for them. If shutdown, are the Cardinals able to produce in the passing game without him. They don’t have a strong running game and they recently lost Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to a fractured foot for at least six weeks. Now, the Cardinals did trade for Robbie Anderson, but his impact has yet to be seen yet. If no else can step up and join Hopkins, the offense could spell trouble not only on Sunday but the rest of the season.
Biggest Question
The biggest question I have for the Cardinals is can their offense pull its weight? Take away those two interception returns last week and what’s the score: 34-28 Saints. The defense won the game taking advantage of the Saints miscues. Minnesota is not going to give you that kind of opportunity; not twice anyway. The Cardinals are going to have to earn it. If the offense doesn’t get an assist from its defense again, can they beat Minnesota? I don’t know. The Vikings are coming off a bye, are healthy, and are likely going to try out some new schemes. If Arizona can’t keep up, it could be a long afternoon in Minneapolis.
Injuries
The Cardinals have ten players on their injury list.
Questionable:
- Jalen Thompson (S) – Calf
- Matt Prater (PK) – Hip
- Darrel Williams (RB) – Knee
- James Conner (RB) – Ribs
- Christian Matthew (CB) – N/A
- D.J. Humphries (OT) – N/A
- Cody Ford (G) – N/A
- Rodney Hudson (C) – N/A
- Dennis Gardeck (LB) – N/A
Injured Reserve:
- Rashard Lawrence (DT) – Shoulder
The Cardinals on Thursday placed Rashard Lawrence on the IR with a shoulder injury. Jalen Thompson didn’t practice on Wednesday due to a calf injury. Kicker Matt Prater is day-to-day, and Darrel Williams and James Conner were a limited participation at practice Wednesday. Matthew, Humphries, Ford, Hudson, and Gardeck are all listed as questionable, and their injuries and status are unknown.
Bold Prediction
My bold prediction for the game is that both teams will combine for 500 yards passing and six touchdowns on Sunday. Both the Vikings and Cardinals secondaries have struggled this season. The Vikings have allowed 288.7 yards passing and the Cardinals 271.9. It is not unreasonable to see this Sunday. Kyler and Kirk will enter into a mini shootout, and we’ll see Hopkins and Jefferson rack up some big yardage as both teams struggle to stop the other. In the end it’ll come down to who gets the ball last to decide the shootout victor.
Betting
The following betting lines are according to ESPN’s Pick Center.
Spread:
- Arizona: +3.5
- Minnesota: -3.5
Money Line:
- Arizona: +165
- Minnesota: -187
Over/Under: 49
Where To Watch
Arizona vs. Minnesota will air on Fox at 1:00 pm (EST). Commentators for the game will be Chris Myers (play-by-play) and Mark Schlereth (analyst). You can watch the game on the Fox Sports app or on FoxSports.com. The game will also be on NFL Sunday Ticket (Directv). Streaming services that have Fox are fubo TV, Hulu (with live TV), Sling TV, and Youtube TV.
Prediction
Arizona vs. Minnesota will be a good one. The Cardinals and Vikings are polar opposites in each half, and we’ll see it on Sunday. The Vikings will come out fast and Arizona will continue to see their first half struggles. After getting a decent lead, Minnesota’s inconsistency will appear again, and the Cardinals second half magic will begin. Arizona will close the gap, and even take the lead late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Kyler won’t get a chance to win it as Cousins and Co. will drive down the field and kick a game winning field goal. Minnesota wins 37-35.
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