Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals Pick ATS

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The Minnesota Vikings come to State Farm Stadium to take on the Arizona Cardinals in key week two action on Sunday. The Vikings look to get off the mat, following a draining late-overtime loss to the Bengals on Sunday, 27-24. They take to the road again this week, taking on a Cardinals team that looked crisp in week one with a resounding 38-13 win over the Titans on the road on Sunday. Can the Cardinals serve further notice that they're a team to watch in their home opener? Or will the stocked Minnesota offense find more success? Let’s break it down!
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Cardinals as Good as They Looked?<br />
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Granted, they're at home this week against a defense that looked exploitable last week against the Bengals, but the Cardinals might be in tougher on Sunday. The Titans were exceptionally flat, both through the air and with Derrick Henry. Arizona QB Kyler Murray scored on the ground once while connecting twice each with DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk on touchdowns. Chase Edmonds and new back James Conner were both effective. On defense, Chandler Jones had five sacks. While having all these weapons is a definite asset, I wouldn't expect the stars to line up so perfectly this week.
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In year three, however, we're starting to see the Kliff Kingsbury/Kyler Murray marriage pay off, and they should improve. Considering how clean a pocket Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins requires to be effective, the notion of a constant Arizona pass-rush has to be daunting. With all that offensive talent, it often doesn't stick, whether it be that offensive line not being up to par or Cousins being struck with a stubborn case of mediocrity on different weeks. And the Cardinals defense we saw in week one would really help bring that about.
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The Difficulty With the Vikings<br />
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It's dangerous as a betting man to form any negative beliefs about Minnesota. When you do, you'll often be left whiffing as they do flex considerable offensive firepower. That line isn't always up-to-snuff, but with do-everything back Dalvin Cook, along with a receiving crew that features two elite receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, they’re a group who can rain a storm on you at any given time. And we’ve seen this Arizona defense stymied in the not-so-distant past by offenses cut from a similar cloth as the Vikings.
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<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/nfl/matchup/1410531">Minnesota at Arizona 9/19/21 Match-up Stats</a> </span>
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But some things are hard to ignore match-up wise as the Vikings take to the road for the second time in two weeks—a tough way to start the season. That line can make things messy, which is something from which Cousins cannot recover. The Arizona front-seven lost Haason Reddick but are still deep and bring a lot of aggression. And against the versatile Arizona offense, the Minnesota secondary will really be put to the test after not looking crisp in week one. But just when you start thinking all these things, Zimmer whips that "D" into shape, and all their weapons are flying around the field.
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All-Around Competence vs. Star Talent<br />
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On a given Sunday, the Vikes can unleash a lot of offensive talent. The Cardinals have DeAndre Hopkins, but the 1-2 punch of Jefferson and Thielen carries a bit more weight. The power they carry at RB with Dalvin Cook is enormous. With all their holes, offensive talent like this has a way of covering up that up a little bit. The Cardinals, however, don’t have the major liabilities that the Vikes have. They’re more solid at quarterback and stronger along both lines of scrimmage. We’ll see if that resonates on Sunday.
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