A pair of NFC teams looking to gain ground in the playoff picture square off in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Arizona Cardinals are on the road as they travel to take on the Minnesota Vikings Sunday afternoon. Arizona comes in off a 16-6 road loss to Seattle in their previous contest last Sunday, losing outright as a one-point favorite. Minnesota downed Chicago 30-27 in overtime on the road last Sunday, pushing the number as a three-point favorite. In the all-time series between the teams, the Vikings own a 16-12 advantage, including a 34-26 win at home in the most recent matchup on October 30, 2022.
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Who will win this matchup? Read more about this Cardinals vs. Vikings prediction!
Arizona Trying to Get Back on Track
Arizona saw their four-game win streak snapped as they were beaten on the road by Seattle last week. The Cardinals dropped to 6-5 on the season and are tied for the top spot in the NFC West with the Seahawks, though Seattle owns the tiebreaker. They stand eighth in the NFC playoff picture, half a game behind Washington for the final wild card spot. Against Seattle, Arizona led 3-0 in the second quarter, trailed 7-3 at the half and 13-3 after three quarters. The Cardinals couldn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way. Arizona owned a 298-285 advantage in total offense, though they gave up 17 first while picking up 15 and lost the time of possession by a 33:13 to 26:47 margin. Each team turned the ball over once in the contest.
On the year, the Cardinals are 23rd in the league in passing offense with 201.7 yards per contest while they are 6th in rushing offense with 140.3 yards per game. Arizona is 16th in scoring offense by putting up an average of 22.2 points per game and 11th in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 21.5 points per contest. Kyler Murray has completed 215 of 313 passes for 2,343 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions on the year. He is second on the team with 380 yards and four scores on the ground. James Conner leads the team with 166 carries for 705 yards and five scores this season. Trey Benson (53 carries, 234 yards, TD) and Emeri Demercado (21 carries, 211 yards, TD) have been efficient in their opportunities as well. In the passing game, tight end Trey McBride leads the team with 61 catches for 685 yards this season. Michael Wilson (32 receptions, 361 yards, three TD), Marvin Harrison Jr. (36 catches, 546 yards, six TD), Conner (29 catches, 288 yards) and Greg Dortch (23 grabs, 192 yards, TD) are solid targets for Murray as well. Matt Prater is 10 of 10 on extra point attempts and six of six on field goals with a long of 57 on the year. Chad Ryland is 13 of 13 on extra points and 13 of 15 on field goals with a long of 57.
The Cardinals don’t have a long injury report heading into this contest. Demercado (back), defensive lineman Darius Robinson (calf), safety Jalen Thompson (ankle) and tackle Jonah Williams (shoulder) were limited in practice both Wednesday and Thursday. Watch for updates on their status heading toward Sunday.
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Vikings in Thick of Tight NFC North Race
Minnesota nearly let one slip away against the Bears but managed to regroup to beat the Bears in overtime on the road last week. The Vikings enter this game 9-2 on the season and stand second in the NFC North, 1.5 games behind the Lions for the top spot. They stand fifth in the NFC playoff picture. Against Chicago, Minnesota trailed 7-0 after the opening quarter, led 14-10 at the half and 24-10 after three quarters. The Vikings were up 27-16 with 1:56 remaining but gave up 11 unanswered points in the final 22 seconds of regulation to force overtime. In the extra session, Minnesota drove 68 yards in 10 plays to set up John Parker Romo’s game-winning 29-yard field goal. Minnesota held a 452-398 edge in total offense, held a 22-20 advantage in first downs and was edged 34:24 to 33:26 in time of possession. Both teams turned the ball over once in the contest.
The Vikings are 11th in the league in passing offense as they average 234 yards per game through the air this season. Minnesota is 15th in the league in rushing offense as they average 117.1 yards per contest on the ground. The Vikings are 9th in the league in scoring offense by putting up 24.9 points per game this year. Minnesota has improved defensively as the season has gone on, ranking 5th in scoring defense as they allow 17.9 points a contest. Sam Darnold is 221 of 327 passing for 2,717 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 165 yards plus a score on the ground. He has been sacked 31 times. Nick Mullens (two of two, 38 yards) is the backup. Aaron Jones leads the run game for the Vikings with 179 carries for 798 yards plus three scores. Ty Chandler (48 carries, 169 yards) and Cam Akers (32 carries, 128 yards) are valuable handcuffs in the ground game. Justin Jefferson leads the team with 61 receptions for 939 yards and five scores. Jalen Nailor (17 catches, 252 yards, five TD), Jones (32 grabs, 285 yards, TD), Jordan Addison (32 receptions, 521 yards, four TD) along with tight ends Johnny Mundt (16 catches, 113 yards, TD), T.J. Hockenson (20 grabs, 226 yards) and Josh Oliver (19 grabs, 216 yards, three TD) are valuable options. Will Reichard is 23 of 23 on extra point attempts and 14 of 16 on field goal attempts with a long of 58 this season. John Parker Romo is five of six on extra points and eight of eight on field goals with a long of 45.
The Vikings have some key names to watch on the injury report. Oliver (wrist/ankle) and safety Jay Ward (elbow) both missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. Tackle Cam Robinson (foot) along with linebackers Andrew van Ginkel (thigh) and Patrick Jones II (knee) were limited on both days. Watch for further updates as we get closer to kickoff.
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Best Bets for Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Arizona was on a roll before struggling against Seattle and they will have their work cut out for them here. The Cardinals have to deal with a pretty stout Minnesota defense that can create havoc with exotic blitz packages and different pressure packages. Minnesota has been better than expected on the offensive side of the ball and they added Daniel Jones to give them a veteran backup quarterback in case something happens to Darnold down the stretch. The Vikings are 4-1 at home on the season while the Cardinals have gone 2-3 on the road entering this game. Give the advantage to Minnesota as they are better on both sides of the ball.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Arizona has seen the under post a 6-4-1 mark in their 11 games. In their five road games this season, the Cardinals have seen the under post a 2-2-1 mark after staying well under the total against Seattle last week. Minnesota has seen the under hit in seven of their 11 games on the season. The Vikings have stayed under the total in four of their five home games this season with their lone over coming in a two-point loss to the Lions. In their four home victories, the total fell under the number in each of those contests. Seeing that we’ve backing the Vikings here, taking the under in correlation makes sense.
