The Arizona Cardinals travel to Minnesota on Sunday to face the Vikings in a critical NFC game. The Cardinals finally picked up a home win last Thursday night against the Saints and are now 3-4. Minnesota, fresh off a bye, has four straight wins and sits atop the NFC North, three games ahead of the Packers in the loss column. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EST.
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Help has arrived
Things looked pretty bleak for the Cardinals heading into last Thursday’s game against the Saints, especially on the offensive end. After inking quarterback Kyler Murray to a huge contract this offseason, it must have been a little concerning how poorly the offense had looked in the first six games. Unfortunately, the Cardinals offense lacked its best weapon in wide receiver, DeShawn Hopkins, and couldn’t stay healthy at running back. On Thursday night, however, Hopkins came back from his suspension and had a team-leading 10 catches in a 42-34 win. The Cardinals’ backfield still remains battered, but RB Eno Benjamin may have emerged as a viable threat with 12 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. Murray went 20 of 29 for 204 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals defense had three passes in the game and returned two for touchdowns in a truly unmissable game.
“For the first time this season we were able to play with the lead and build on it,” Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “It certainly helped.”
Coming soon… pic.twitter.com/mkyN0H5a3a
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 27, 2022
Arizona now has the opportunity to improve their offense with Hopkins back in the fold and Benjamin’s quickness out of the backfield. Heading into this game, Arizona is 15th in the NFL in offense after their 42-point outburst. They are 13th on floor and only 17th in passing as the season nears the halfway point. In the red zone, despite Murray’s breakout, the Cardinals are ranked 15th in the NFL in red zone offense. Murray and the Cardinals protected the ball as the third NFL team in turnover differential. Arizona’s defense is ranked only 27th in the league in scoring defense. The Cardinals are ranked 6th in run defense but only 25th in the league in pass defense. Arizona’s defense is middle of the road in red zone efficiency, ranking 17th.
Key injuries: Running backs Darrel Williams and James Conner have both been restricted in practice this week. Conner will miss this game with a rib injury. S Jalen Thompson has also been restricted this week.
Reclaim the North?
Don’t look now but there could be a changing of the guard in the NFC North. The Packers’ three-year hold on the division appears to be in trouble as the Minnesota Vikings sit 5-1 and with a win in hand over the Packers this season. Two weeks ago, the Vikings posted four straight wins with a 24-16 win over Miami on the road. Quarterback Kirk Cousins finished the game 20 of 30 for 175 yards and two touchdowns and wide receiver Justin Jefferson had six catches for 107 yards. The Vikings offense finished with just 11 first downs and went 2 of 12 on third conversions, but still took the win. The Vikings defense forced three turnovers in the game, two of them via interception.
“We talked last night about how it would take,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said, “all the ways to get to 5-1 before that bye.”
House favorites come out of the bye. #skol
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 28, 2022
The Vikings arrive this week after a break and are looking to put a little more distance between themselves and the rest of the NFC North. Minnesota comes in with the 13th-ranked offense in the NFL. They’re only 25th in the NFL in rushing this season, but a solid 10th in passing the ball. The Vikings were strong in the red zone, placing 11th in the league. The team was also very effective at retaining football, ranking fifth in turnover differential. The Vikings defense is 12th in the league in scoring defense so far. They were mid-road against the run, ranking 14th but struggled on the pass, ranking 28th in the NFL. Finally, the Vikings have the most generous red zone defense in the NFL, ranking dead last in the league.
Key injuries: The Vikings have six injured reserve players, but come into this game with all of their key starters healthy and ready.
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In truth, if you take out pick six’s two interceptions last week, the Cardinals’ offense looked improved but not stellar. Murray only completed 20 passes and half of them went to Hopkins. The Vikings’ sensitive passing defense will definitely swing cover towards Hopkins and cause someone else to beat them. Zach Ertz would appear to be a player who could help, but he’s only been targeted four times in Hopkins’ return after being targeted 10 times in three of the previous four games. The Vikings come in with a stronger passing offense and, like the Cardinals, won’t shoot each other with errors. The Vikings are rested and healthy while the Cardinals remain battered, especially in their backfield. A team on a bye went 12-8 against teams that played the previous week. Vikings will take advantage of more weapons and exploit a weak Cardinals secondary.
Take the Vikings and put down the dots (-3.5).
Prediction: Minnesota -3.5
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The Cardinals are coming off their best score of the season, but with two defensive touchdowns. The Vikings are 3-1 over at home this season. Both teams will likely get the ball in the air in this game and both teams are ranked 25th and 28th in pass defense. With two weeks of film to work on, I expect the Vikings offense to exploit the Cardinals secondary in this game. I love that this one is a minny shootout.
Get the upper hand, 48.5 points.
Prediction: Over 48.5
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