Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals Odds, Picks & Predictions
Online sports betting is live in the desert, so it’s time to take a closer look at the Week 2 matchup for the Arizona Cardinals. Follow along as Nick Galaida previews Vikings vs. Cardinals odds and gives you a free pick to make at AZ sportsbooks.
Vikings vs. Cardinals Odds
| Vikings Odds | +3.5 |
| Cardinals Odds | -3.5 |
| Over/Under | 50.5 |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 19* |
| Time | 4:05 p.m. |
| TV | FOX |
The Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals will battle in Week 2 on Sunday afternoon at University of Phoenix Stadium. Oddsmakers are expecting a close game, pricing Arizona as a 3.5-point favorite on the spread after stretching to -4.5 earlier this week. According to Scores And Odds, 61% of bets are on the Cardinals as of Friday morning.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchups and break down some NFL betting tips for the upcoming clash between the Vikings vs. Cardinals.
Minnesota Vikings +3.5
Per Courtney Cronin, 50 of 59 teams in the Super Bowl era to begin the year 0-2, with both losses coming on the road, have missed the postseason. Of course, the NFL is playing a 17-game schedule for the first time in 2021, but this game certainly carries a lot of weight for a Minnesota team that has the Seattle Seahawks and the Cleveland Browns lined up in Week 3 and 4.
In their season opener, the Vikings suffered a 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on a game-winning 33-yard field goal by Evan McPherson as time expired in overtime. Despite the loss, Minnesota fans had to be encouraged by the play of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who completed 36 of 49 attempts for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Adam Thielen appeared to re-establish his strong connection with Cousins—a promising sign for the tandem after a 2020 campaign in which the two struggled to get on the same page, resulting in only 925 receiving yards for Thielen. Wide receivers K.J. Osborn and Justin Jefferson also looked fantastic in Week 1, securing 12 catches on 18 targets for 147 yards. Dalvin Cook was inefficient, totaling only 61 rushing yards on 20 carries, but that is likely the fault of a terrible performance from the offensive line. Per Pro Football Focus, 45 of Cook’s 61 yards on the ground came after contact. Minnesota will either need to change the game plan to feature more quick pass attempts, or they will need significantly better offensive line play going forward if they want to consistently put points on the board.
The Bengals have one of the worst offensive lines in football, but Minnesota’s defense still struggled to generate much pressure on Joe Burrow in Week 1. Linebacker Nick Vigil, who had 10 tackles against Cincinnati, was limited at practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. Linebacker Anthony Barr was absent from practice on Wednesday, making it likely that he will be out once again for Sunday’s contest. Patrick Peterson figures to be the primary coverage man on DeAndre Hopkins this weekend. Peterson is a big name, but has not effectively neutralized opposing wide-outs since 2018. Bashaud Breeland looked completely overmatched in Week 1 and will need to play much better on Sunday if the Vikings want any hope of slowing down a dynamic Cardinals offense.
Arizona Cardinals -3.5
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals steamrolled the Tennessee Titans in their season opener by a final score of 38-13. Murray threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns. The backfield combination of Chase Edmonds and James Conner totaled 116 yards on the ground on 28 attempts. Christian Kirk demonstrated strong rapport with Murray, hauling in all five of his targets for 70 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. The offensive line was good, but not great. Expect the big men up-front to only get better as they get healthier.
Chandler Jones was the talk of the league in Week 1 with five sacks and two forced fumbles. After a couple of disappointing seasons to begin his career, Byron Murphy Jr. played excellently in a tough matchup against a couple of the game’s best receivers. Still, it remains to be seen if he can replicate that performance. Buddha Baker looks poised to continue his ascension as one of the better safeties in football. If Arizona can get better production from their linebackers going forward, this defense could end up being much better this fall than many pundits anticipated.
Vikings vs. Cardinals Picks
Arizona is the much healthier team entering play in Week 2. Still, it seems that the public is over-reacting to their win against Tennessee, a team that had very little time on the field together as a starting unit in the preseason. The Cardinals took care of business, but they were not facing the Titans at full strength—or even really close to full strength. Minnesota did not come away with a win against the Bengals, but they did a lot of things well offensively.
Neither of these defenses are dominant forces. Neither of these offensive lines are strong enough to justify making the rushing attack the central part of a game plan. Expect Cousins and Murray to come out slinging the football on Sunday against beatable opposing secondary units. The over has value in this one on the favorable side of 51—the third most common total in the NFL since the league moved the extra point in 2015.
PICK: Over 50.5 (-110)
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