The Minnesota Vikings come out of their bye week at 5-1, but are the Arizona Cardinals a tougher matchup than they appear to be?
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t play last Sunday, but you can argue they still found a way to win. Only the Philadelphia Eagles (6-0) and New York Giants (6-1) own a better record in the NFC than the Vikings at 5-1. The Green Bay Packers look like a mess and the rest of the conference doesn’t appear to be threatening anyone in the near future.
This gives the Vikings a golden opportunity, but when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, it has all the makings of a trap game.
The Cardinals aren’t exactly the picture of a model franchise, but they have ways to hurt you. Kyler Murray screamed at Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury last week, but he remains one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league. DeAndre Hopkins dropped the greatest PED return video of all time and proceeded to jump-start the Cardinals’ offense.
Robby Anderson is a mercurial but dangerous deep target, while James Conner is inching his way back from a rib injury. Mix in a defense that recorded two pick-sixes off Andy Dalton last week, and Arizona looks like a formidable opponent for the Vikings.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the key matchups and give you five bold predictions for when the Vikings host the Cardinals on Sunday.