Experts Pick Against The Spread for Cardinals-Vikings
It's once again time for millions of Americans to place their hard-earned cash on spreads across the league, and the Arizona Cardinals look to improve on their 3-4 record in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.
But you're not here for straight-up wins (the Cardinals are +155 on SI Sportsbook's moneyline), you're here for some against the spread action.
Arizona is 4-3 against the spread thus far, while the Vikings are a mere 2-4.
NFL teams are 2-2 thus far after bye weeks, and Minnesota looks to improve on that record.
The Cardinals entered this week as +3.5 underdogs, let's see who's taking which side of the matchup:
Against The Spread Picks for Cardinals-Vikings
Yahoo! Sports
Vikings (-3.5) over Cardinals
If you watched last Thursday night's Cardinals win over the Saints, you know the Arizona offense wasn't entirely fixed. Two pick-sixes blew that game open, and you can't count on that happening again. The Vikings aren't an impressive 5-1 or anything, but I don't believe in the Cardinals.
The Athletic (Vic Tafur)
"There is a pretty good chance the Vikings are frauds at 5-1, and that’s a popular theory given that this line has already been bet down by 1.5 points. The Vikings might be buyers at the trade deadline, but they could feel differently after this game. We picked the Cardinals last week because their defense is better than you think and they should have success this week blitzing Kirk Cousins. They will have to withstand a good start by the Vikings, as the disparity in offensive scripts between Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell and Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury is immense. On their first two possessions of games, the Vikings rank seventh in EPA per drive, while the Cardinals rank 26th.
"Kyler Murray is better as the games go on and he tunes out Kingsbury and scrambles more often, and now he has DeAndre Hopkins back. In his first game back from suspension, Hopkins received 48.3 percent of the Cardinals’ targets, the third-highest target share of any player in a game this season. And the Vikings rank 31st in pass defense DVOA overall and 31st vs. No. 1 receivers."
The pick: Cardinals (+3.5)
New York Post
Arizona Cardinals (+3.5) over MINNESOTA VIKINGS
"Interesting that this will be the Vikings’ fifth home game against two road games, so I’m not sure we know exactly how good their 5-1 record really is. Their last three home wins were by four, three and seven, so I’m willing to take a few points to find out."
Forbes
"Few would have predicted the Minnesota Vikings would jump out as one of the NFC’s top Super Bowl contenders at the midpoint of the campaign. With so many of the preseason favorites struggling, the Vikes have defied expectations and made a run to the top of the NFC North with a real chance to earn the top overall seed in the conference.
"Minnesota will look to keep a four-game win streak alive against the plucky Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. This could be the toughest challenge the squad has faced since a Week 2 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, especially since the Vikings haven’t been truly tested over the last month ...
"With recent trade acquisition Robbie Anderson also joining the mix after coming over from the Carolina Panthers, the Cardinals feature one of the league’s deepest and most dangerous receiving corps.
"If a Vikings secondary that has allowed 272.0 yards through the air this year—the fifth-most in football—can’t stop a potent Arizona aerial attack led by quarterback Kyler Murray and orchestrated by Kliff Kingsbury, this one could quickly get out of hand."
Pick: Cardinals +3.5
Prediction: Cardinals 31 – Vikings 28
ESPN (Andre Snellings)
Arizona Cardinals +3.5 over Vikings.
"The Cardinals, to me, have felt like they were a step out of sink all season ... until last week. When DeAndre Hopkins returned, all of a sudden I started seeing hints of the team that led the NFC West most of last season. Now Hopkins has a game under his belt, newcomer Robbie Anderson should be acclimated, and it's possible that James Conner and/or Darrel Williams could be back to supplement the run game around Eno Benjamin. I think the Cardinals are ready to start playing much better ball, starting this weekend."
Action Network
"With Hopkins back, the Cards are once again equipped to win a shootout with Minnesota, but their defense matches up fairly well with the Vikings offense.
"With standout safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson playing over the top, the Cardinals rate first in DVOA against No. 1 wide receivers and third against No. 2 wide receivers, which is exactly what you want when facing a pass offense featuring Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
"Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has dialed up blitzes at the second-highest rate in the league (36.7%), which could give Kirk Cousins trouble, as his passer rating this season drops from 96.1 when not blitzed to 68.2 when blitzed. And when Cousins hands off to Dalvin Cook, Arizona can combat him with a run defense rated sixth by DVOA.
"Along with late-season collapses, one of the defining characteristics of Kliff Kingsbury’s Cardinals has been a tendency to play better on the road than at home. Under Kingsbury, the Cardinals are just 11-17 (39%) at home, but 19-7-2 (73%) ATS at home, including 15-3-2 (83%) ATS as a road ‘dog.
"The Cardinals have covered eight straight as road ‘dogs dating back to the start of last season."
Cardinals +3.5
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