Cardinals Have Tall Task at Hand With Vikings Offense
The Arizona Cardinals will have their plates full when the Minnesota Vikings host them for a NFC showdown in Week 8.
To set the stage for this article, we'll take you inside the Cardinals' media room at their training facility in Tempe, where this exchange happened between a reporter and head coach Kliff Kingsbury:
Reporter: "Minnesota kind of has a elite receiver too in Justin Jefferson-"
Kingsbury: "Not kind of, he's all the way elite, that one."
The entire room broke out in laughter, as obviously Jefferson is an incredibly elite talent as a wideout. Fans know that. Players know that. Media know that.
Kingsbury knows, too.
Jefferson is off to another strong start, as his presence and production is a big reason the Vikings have been able to establish a 5-1 record thus far.
Even with an early bye week, Jefferson still finds himself near the top of some major receiving stats:
Justin Jefferson Stat Rankings
Receptions: 46 (7th)
Receiving Yards: 654 (3rd)
Big Plays (20+ Yards): 11 (T-2nd)
Yards After Catch: 289 (5th)
Receiving First Downs: 28 (T-7th)
Jefferson provides a tall task for the Cardinals, but this won't be their first rodeo with a premier receiver. Arizona has faced elite guys such as Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, DK Metcalf and DJ Moore among others thus far, mostly keeping those names quiet in action.
“Every week, it’s the same in this league, and everyone’s got players,” Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said on Thursday. “Everyone’s got a big-time (running) back and couple of receivers and a quarterback that’s playing well. So for us, it’s the same as the Rams, Seattle, same as the Chiefs, same as the Raiders. So for us it’s no different. It’s having a plan to stop what they do best and live with the rest.
“By numbers he’s getting the ball two-to-one to the second guy. So, it’s no different to Cooper Kupp or Adams or the big guy in Seattle (Metcalf) … He’s a special player and he’s been that way for three straight years."
It's not just Jefferson the Cardinals have to worry about, however. Adam Thielen is still a strong No. 2 wideout for Minnesota.
Running back Dalvin Cook possesses the ability to break a big run on any given play. Arizona knows that all too well, as Cook gained 131 yards in last season's meeting between the two sides.
"Yeah, you have to. There's no doubt," Kingsbury said on the importance of limiting both options.
"If they both get going, you're in trouble, but Dalvin's one of those guys (where) you can bottle him up for the entire game, and then the last one he goes for 70 yards and outruns everybody. He's been a really good back in this league a long time, and with the weapons they have I think (Vikings Head Coach) Kevin's (O'Connell) done a great job of maximizing each guy in this system. (Vikings QB) Kirk's (Cousins) playing at a really high level. He's getting the ball out quick and going to the right place with it."
Kirk Cousins' numbers aren't flashy nor gaudy. He's not showing up on any highlight reels with his throws compared to other passing counterparts and he certainly isn't elite in any category.
Yet he's playing winning football for the Vikings, which Kingsbury believes he's always done despite outside views that suggest otherwise.
"He's played at a really high level for a long time. Whether it's Washington or Minnesota, he seems to always have his team in the chase and that's all you can ask," said Kingsbury.
"When I watch him, he's a great decision maker, a very accurate thrower, has played in a bunch of schemes and has been successful in every one of them, so I think he's a really, really good player. For whatever reason, people want to give him a bad rap, but he's played at a high level for his entire career really."
Although easier said than done, the Cardinals look to keep their defensive play up against some top names around the league.
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