Arizona Cardinals: Three Keys vs. Minnesota Vikings

For the Arizona Cardinals win-streak to increase to two vs. the Minnesota Vikings, they need to accomplish these three tasks.

Author:
Richie Bradshaw
Publish date:
Oct 30, 2022 9:04 AM EDT

In this story:

Arizona Cardinals

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are one of the NFL's top teams, and a win against them would do wonders for the Arizona Cardinals' self-esteem moving forward. To get a win against the Vikings in the state of Minnesota for the first time since the 1970s, the Cardinals will need to play their most complete football of the 2022 season.

The 5-1 Vikings have plenty of flaws that the Cardinals can exploit and if they're able to pull off these three key details during this game, they could walk away with their third victory of the year and start a winning streak.

1. Play "Damage Control" with Justin Jefferson

There is no stopping Justin Jefferson and unless you're one of the three best cornerbacks in football or have a full-proof defensive scheme in mind, there is very little containing for Justin Jefferson. The man better known as JJettas has quickly become one of the NFL's most explosive offensive weapons and has an argument to be made as the best wide receiver in all of football. For the Cardinals, Jefferson is priority number one on every play.

With Byron Murphy set to play, fans can watch a little easier knowing that the Cardinals have someone ready to match up with the 23-year-old star receiver. Murphy has shadowed some of the league's best receivers this season and has played admirably in each game he's appeared. With some help from other stud defenders like Budda Baker, Arizona should be able to bracket Jefferson and maintain his damage.

The likelihood of eliminating Jefferson from the game is somewhere between slim and none, but while the Cardinals' pass defense is one of the worst in the league, we have still seen the unit step up against ace receivers. They will need to find a way to limit what Jefferson does in this game or it will get out of hand quickly.

2. Attack Patrick Peterson

As porous as the Cardinals' pass defense has been in 2022 (25th in YPG), the Vikings' pass defense has actually been worse (28th) and there is a familiar face in the secondary that has been at the forefront of those issues.

Former Cardinals and future Hall of Fame cornerback Patrick Peterson is the man in charge of the backend of the Vikings' defense and he's been about as average as it gets. Cardinals fans remember how frustrating he was at the end of his tenure with the team and while he is far from the worst cornerback in the league, he has still proven to be a liability at times. This is something that Kyler Murray and the offense should exploit.

Both sides between Peterson and the Cardinals didn't necessarily have a falling out, but there are absolutely some personal feelings about to be involved in this game. For the Cardinals, we'd like to see them take advantage of the aging vet with a guy like DeAndre Hopkins and see if they can't dominate the ball through the air. The rest of the Vikings' secondary isn't exactly Hall of Famers, but targeting Peterson feels like a terrific idea in more ways than one.

3. Create Extra Opportunities

Now would be as good a time as ever to prove that the Cardinals' three interceptions against the New Orleans Saints weren't a fluke.

The Cardinals have just five interceptions through seven games, but three of them came in their most recent game. Andy Dalton was throwing passes to the Cardinal defensive backs almost as if he believed they were on his team. This kind of performance could be a catalyst for a major confidence booster to help force more turnovers.

This week, they have themselves a quarterback who likes making dicey decisions, too, in the form of Kirk Cousins.

Cousins has five interceptions this season, tied for ninth in the league through six games including a three-interception performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.

While the Vikings have still managed to win all but one game this season with Cousins' turnovers, that one loss was to the Eagles and it's his only multi-interception game of the season. If the Cardinals can recreate their prowess for interceptions against the Vikings, you have to like the team's odds to copy-and-paste their performance against the Saints that netted them a 42-34 win.

A win against the Vikings could prove to be the turnaround win the Cardinals need to get back on track for a playoff spot for the 2022 season. If they can accomplish these three tasks, their odds of victory should skyrocket.

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