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The Vikings run a pass funnel type of defense that should open things up for a massive day from McBride. The third-year pro out of Colorado State is coming off his best game of the season (12 catches for 133 yards on 15 targets). I expect McBride to see double digit targets again on Sunday with 75+ receiving yards.
Arizona has looked pretty bad in two of its past three road games, while it's Minnesota's first at home in nearly a month. I keep expecting Sam Darnold to turn into a pumpkin but he has had back-to-back games with at least two pass TDs and zero picks for the first time in his career. Defensively, the Vikes rank first in the NFL in the fewest rushing yards (95) and the lowest average yards per rush (2.6) by opposing quarterbacks, so they could make Kyler Murray one dimensional.
The Cardinals need to run the ball effectively to succeed on offense. They were stymied last week in Seattle -- 49 yards on 14 carries -- and lost 16-6. Now they face the NFL's top rushing defense in Minnesota. This feels like a Justin Jefferson blow-up game, as Arizona ranks 24th in EPA allowed to outside receivers. Back Minnesota to cover as the Vikings remain in contention for the division and the conference's top seed.
Darnold threw 34 passes last week in what wound up being a competitive OT win at Chicago, but this won't be the same. Like Chicago, Arizona plays a lot of zone coverage. But unlike Chicago, Arizona's pass rush has gotten hot -- they have 14 sacks in their past three games. Darnold's never been a consistent passer when under pressure, and Minnesota's O-line has a large question mark at left tackle. What better way to combat that than by giving Aaron Jones and the Vikings run game a lot of work? With the Vikings defense expected to hammer the Cardinals offense, Darnold won't have to pass a ton. And the best part? He's thrown more than 33 passes in just three games all season.
Justin Jefferson is having another fantastic season, however his numbers are down compared to previous years which can almost entirely be attributed to a decrease in targets. Shockingly, Jefferson has only had double digit targets in one game and while he's been highly efficient, the decrease in targets has contributed his dip in yardage. I like Jefferson's chances of having a spike game considering Arizona's pass defense is 21st in EPA allowed per drop back, 25th in Success Rate, in addition to lacking an effective or consistent pass rush. Arizona's offense is also capable of forcing Minnesota to throw and I even think there is some squeaky wheel narrative considering Jefferson has been quiet (by his standards) lately. I'd play this up to 84.5.
The Cardinals defense has gotten pretty stout without anyone really noticing. In the last 5 games they've allowed: 16, 6, 9, 27 and 15 points. They have played 4 of the last 5 games at 38 points or less. They are 8-5 to the under on the road since the start of last season. Vikings are 9-4 to the under at home since the start of last season (on average under by 3.5 points, 30th in the NFL). The Vikings have played 3 of their last 4 games at 37 or under. MIN is back home finally after three straight road games and might be shaky. Cardinals road games and Vikings home games since the start of last season both averaged 42 points.
The Vikings just won three straight road games and finally get to head home, but they may be missing key players on both sides of the ball after Cam Robinson and Ivan Pace suffered injuries Sunday. Robinson was the Plan B after Christian Darrisaw was lost, and Sam Darnold (who is also banged up) could see extra pressure against a defense that has played very well recently. Pace's loss could matter against a mobile QB, which the Vikings defense hasn't seen much of this year. While my ratings think the line is fine, I like the spot and the potential health advantage for Arizona.