10-30-2022, 01:11 PM
After you get past the betting bullshit (records against the spread, after byes, etc) which is utterly meaningless IMO, some pretty interesting observations HERE.
There is a pretty good chance the Vikings are frauds at 5-1, and that’s a popular theory given that this line has already been bet down by 1.5 points. The Vikings might be buyers at the trade deadline, but they could feel differently after this game. We picked the Cardinals last week because their defense is better than you think and they should have success this week blitzing Kirk Cousins. They will have to withstand a good start by the Vikings, as the disparity in offensive scripts between Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell and Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury is immense. On their first two possessions of games, the Vikings rank seventh in EPA per drive, while the Cardinals rank 26th.
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"Kyler Murray is better as the games go on and he tunes out Kingsbury and scrambles more often, and now he has DeAndre Hopkins back. In his first game back from suspension, Hopkins received 48.3 percent of the Cardinals’ targets, the third-highest target share of any player in a game this season. And the Vikings rank 31st in pass defense DVOA overall and 31st vs. No. 1 receivers."
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"Few would have predicted the Minnesota Vikings would jump out as one of the NFC’s top Super Bowl contenders at the midpoint of the campaign. With so many of the preseason favorites struggling, the Vikes have defied expectations and made a run to the top of the NFC North with a real chance to earn the top overall seed in the conference.
"Minnesota will look to keep a four-game win streak alive against the plucky Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. This could be the toughest challenge the squad has faced since a Week 2 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, especially since the Vikings haven’t been truly tested over the last month ...
"With recent trade acquisition Robbie Anderson also joining the mix after coming over from the Carolina Panthers, the Cardinals feature one of the league’s deepest and most dangerous receiving corps.
"If a Vikings secondary that has allowed 272.0 yards through the air this year—the fifth-most in football—can’t stop a potent Arizona aerial attack led by quarterback Kyler Murray and orchestrated by Kliff Kingsbury, this one could quickly get out of hand."
There is a pretty good chance the Vikings are frauds at 5-1, and that’s a popular theory given that this line has already been bet down by 1.5 points. The Vikings might be buyers at the trade deadline, but they could feel differently after this game. We picked the Cardinals last week because their defense is better than you think and they should have success this week blitzing Kirk Cousins. They will have to withstand a good start by the Vikings, as the disparity in offensive scripts between Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell and Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury is immense. On their first two possessions of games, the Vikings rank seventh in EPA per drive, while the Cardinals rank 26th.
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"Few would have predicted the Minnesota Vikings would jump out as one of the NFC’s top Super Bowl contenders at the midpoint of the campaign. With so many of the preseason favorites struggling, the Vikes have defied expectations and made a run to the top of the NFC North with a real chance to earn the top overall seed in the conference.
"Minnesota will look to keep a four-game win streak alive against the plucky Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. This could be the toughest challenge the squad has faced since a Week 2 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, especially since the Vikings haven’t been truly tested over the last month ...
"If a Vikings secondary that has allowed 272.0 yards through the air this year—the fifth-most in football—can’t stop a potent Arizona aerial attack led by quarterback Kyler Murray and orchestrated by Kliff Kingsbury, this one could quickly get out of hand."
