Somebody stop these Arizona Cardinals! The Cards extended their win streak to six games after mercilessly crushing the St. Louis Rams on the road last Sunday. They will look to continue their dominant run this Thursday, when they host the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are coming off a bad loss to Seattle Seahawks, but they remain in the playoff hunt nonetheless.
For more Week 14 game previews, you can also read our breakdown of Buffalo vs. Philadelphia.
[sc:Football ]Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals Preview
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale
When: Thursday, December 10, 8:25 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Vikings (+9) at Arizona Cardinals (-9); total: 46.0 – see all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: NFL Network
Betting on the Minnesota Vikings (8-4)
[sc:NFL240banner ]If Adrian Peterson had any plans of having a big game Sunday, the Seahawks defense sure wasn’t told, as they absolutely shut down Minnesota’s offense in a dominant 38-7 win.
Despite the loss, the Vikings are still inside the NFC playoff picture. They’ll be looking to keep pace with the conference leaders next week at Arizona, where Minnesota is 3-2 SU in five games there dating back to 1995.
Peterson simply was no match against the Seahawks’ defense, which limited him to season-low numbers of 18 rushing yards on eight carries. As high as Peterson’s upside on any given Sunday is, he’ll likely be in for another tough shift in Arizona, considering that the Cardinals are fourth in the league in rushing defense. That said, Peterson’s presence alone should give Minnesota’s passing offense time to make plays.
Teddy Bridgewater, meanwhile, didn’t have a great game against Seattle too, as the second-year quarterback passed for only 118 yards with no touchdowns and an interception on just 17 of 28 completions. Bridgewater, however, got little help from an offensive line that allowed Seattle to sack him four times. Bridgewater needs better protection moving forward after being taken down 14 times in Minnesota’s past four games.
How Minnesota will contain Arizona’s high-octane offense is a different problem, although the Vikings have been able to slow down most of the teams they’ve faced this year. Minnesota is second in the league in scoring defense with 17.6 points allowed per game on 334.1 total yards surrendered, ninth overall in the NFL.
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Betting on the Arizona Cardinals (10-2)
The Cards were missing some key players on their offense, but it barely mattered, as they leveled a hapless St. Louis squad on Sunday to the tune of a 27-3 road victory. The Birds now return home, where they’ve gone 8-2 SU in their last 10 games there going back to October of last year.
Arizona has been flexing its muscle on offense for the most part this season, and the Cards did it again in the win over St. Louis. Carson Palmer carved up the Rams’ soft defense for 356 passing yards and two touchdowns to J.J. Nelson and David Johnson.
Johnson was an instant workhorse for a Cardinals backfield that didn’t have the services of Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington on Sunday. David Johnson maximized his time in the limelight as he he had 99 rushing yards on 22 carries. Kerwynn Williams, meanwhile, came out of nowhere and racked up 59 rushing yards and a touchdown on six attempts.
Chris Johnson has already been ruled out for the regular season after fracturing his tibia against San Francisco in Week 12. Ellington, on the other hand, is nursing a turf toe that may cost him another outing. In that case, David Johnson should be the undisputed go-to option in Arizona’s rushing game that is 11th in the league with 115.2 yards per game average.
The over is 5-1 in Arizona’s last six home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Minnesota wins, 27-24.
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