The Cardinals know they can’t let up with the Seahawks charging fast in the NFC West. Arizona can move a step closer to the division title and a first-round playoff bye with a win over the Vikings, who are still tied atop the NFC North after getting drubbed by Seattle last week.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona Cardinals -7
Minnesota Vikings +7
Over/Under 45
ODDS ANALYSIS
Arizona owns the second best record in the NFC and can clinch at least a tie for the NFC West crown with a win. And that’s very possible against a Minnesota team that looks vulnerable and exposed after last week. But the Cards have been a shaky bet at home recently, failing to cover as the favored team in its last three at University of Phoenix Stadium.
KEY INJURIES
Anthony Barr – Minnesota’s starting linebacker left Sunday’s game with a groin injury and didn’t return. His status for the Cardinals game on a short week is uncertain. Jason Trusnik is likely to replace Barr.
Harrison Smith – The Vikings also lost their starting free safety last weekend when Smith exited with a hamstring injury, leaving them down two players in the secondary with strong safety Andrew Sendejo inactive with a knee injury.
Jermaine Gresham – Departed Sunday’s game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. He’s questionable to play against the Vikings. Darren Fells and Troy Niklas will likely see more snaps at tight end for the Cards.
KEY MISMATCH
The Cardinals played what coach Bruce Arians called a “pretty complete game” in thrashing the St. Louis Rams 27-3 last Sunday. Playing without running backs Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington, the Cards still managed to run for 175 yards behind rookie David Johnson, who amassed 99 on 22 carries. He also caught a pair of passes, including a 10-yard touchdown grab. Johnson ran hard between the tackles and gave Arizona the power running game it can’t always offer with Chris Johnson and Ellington getting most of the carries. Carson Palmer also threw for 356 yards and two scores against a beat down Rams defense. The Cards’ depth at receiver is very impressive. Besides Larry Fitzgerald, who caught eight passes on Sunday, they had two 100-yard receivers in John Brown and Michael Floyd. Rookie J.J. Nelson has been a bigger part of the rotation lately as well and he snagged a 22-yard touchdown for Arizona’s first score. The balanced attack is frightening for defenses and opposing secondaries have a hard time matching up with all the deep threats.
KEY STAT
46.3 – Arizona’s third down conversion rate. The Cards lead the NFL in extending drives on third down and face a Minnesota defense that allows opponents to convert 36.8 percent of the time on third down.
BETTING ANGLE
With Adrian Peterson racking up 589 rushing yards during Minnesota’s five-game winning streak, the question remained how the Vikings would fare on a day when Peterson was stopped. Twice in the previous two weeks they lost home games to NFC contenders who built two-score leads and prompted the Vikings to go away from AP sooner than the running back thought was necessary, leading to two sets of critical comments about coaching and one meeting with coach Mike Zimmer about his role in the offense. Playing catch up isn’t what the Vikings do and eliminating Peterson from the offense gives opponents a good chance of beating them. Unless Minnesota can become multi-dimensional in their approach and Teddy Bridgewater proves he can carry the team when AP can’t, the Vikings could be in for a long night in the desert against a tough Cardinals defense.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Cardinals are on a mission this season and as long as Palmer stays healthy they have an excellent chance of dethroning the Seahawks in the NFC West. They annihilated the Rams last week putting up a ridiculous 524 yards of offense without their top two running backs and held St. Louis to 212 yards and nine first downs. The Cardinals could be the most balanced team in the NFC. Arizona’s group of receivers has an edge over Carolina, though the Panthers may be a bit nastier on defense. Still, the Cardinals are good, deep and tough. Seattle gave the NFL a blueprint on how to beat Minnesota by getting an early lead, taking Peterson out of the equation and pressuring Bridgewater into making mistakes. The result was a horrible home loss for the Vikings, who got banged up on top of getting beat up. With key members on all three levels of the Vikes’ D likely out on the short turnaround, Minnesota will have a difficult time stopping the Cards’ top ranked offense.
Arizona 31, Minnesota 20
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Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals will commence Thursday, December 10, 2015, at 8:25 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium. The matchup will be televised live on the NFL Network.
