5 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals – Week 2

Minnesota will have less than five penalties

Many things slowed the Vikings down against the Bengals, but the biggest were penalties. Minnesota committed 12 penalties for 112 yards last week and constantly put themselves in third and forever situations. With the Vikings struggling to stay on schedule, the offense couldn’t get going until it was too late.

Coming into the matchup with the Cardinals, the Vikings have made it an emphasis to clean up their act. Mike Zimmer told reporters after the loss that his team wasn’t making the same mistakes in practice and Garrett Bradbury reiterated the importance of staying in manageable situations.

Saying you’ll clean things up is one thing, but if it doesn’t happen, it’s like a bad New Year’s resolution. If the Vikings can’t stop committing penalties, they won’t be able to open up the playbook and maximize their offense.

This played out with the Vikings attempting just eight play-action passes last week, according to Pro Football Focus. By comparison, Cousins averaged 9.1 play-action attempts per game last season.

The good news is, it can’t be this bad again. With the Vikings spending a week cleaning things up, they should at least be prepared for a hostile environment in Arizona.