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The Vikings’ 53-man roster heading into week 8 is mostly unchanged
The Minnesota Vikings sit at 5-1 heading into Sunday’s game against the 3-4 Arizona Cardinals
The line for the game is set at -3.5 after opening at 4.5 and the over/under is set at 49.5 per Tipico Sportsbook.
As we head into week eight, the roster has seen a few changes. Here is a roster update going into Sunday’s game against the Cardinals..
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We give our predictions for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals
The 5-1 Minnesota Vikings will be gunning for their fifth-straight win as they take on the 3-4 Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals have not won in Minnesota since 1977 when they were the St. Louis Cardinals. In the last 45 years, they have played 10 games in Minneapolis and have lost all 10, including a divisional round game in January of 1999.
Heading into the game, the Vikings are still in a state of flux and have had a ton of injury-luck. The next three games will determine a lot for this team moving forward. We previewed the game and gave a prediction, along with Jess Root of Cards Wire.
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Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is “all the way elite.”
The Arizona Cardinals have done a very good job against some of the league’s best receivers this season. They held the Raiders’ Davante Adams to only two catches. The Rams’ Cooper Kupp had only four receptions against them. The Eagles’ A.J. Brown had three in the team’s first offensive possession and then none the rest of the game against Arizona. Seattle’s DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett combined for four catches.
They will face the Minnesota Vikings this weekend on the road, who have Justin Jefferson. In six games, he has 46 receptions for 654 yards and two touchdowns.
Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury see a lot of similarities between him and DeAndre Hopkins, and he made a point to correct a reporter.
On Monday, when asked about a “kind of” elite Jefferson, Kingsbury was quick to correct the reporter, saying, “not kind of — he’s all the way elite.”
“They move him around,” he said. “Kind of like Hop, he can be on the outside and beat you with a go route or put him inside and he’ll beat you on an option route. I think the versatility of both of those guys is unique — great route runners, great hands and very competitive. There are some similarities there for sure.”
How much success the Cardinals have against Jefferson will, in large part, determine the results of the game.
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The Vikings offense will be one to watch this week coming off the bye week
The Minnesota Vikings host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon and we could be in for some changes on the offense.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell’s scheme has been slow over the course of the first six games. They have scored at least 24 points in all five of their wins but they consistency hasn’t been there yet. There are elements that the Vikings can both improve on and integrate into their system.
Here is one thing to watch for from each position on the Vikings offense.
The Vikings’ offense is interesting when you compare the numbers to last year
The Minnesota Vikings are in a great position coming out of their bye week. Sitting at 5-1, they currently have a 2.5-game lead in the NFC North that is essentially 3.5 games with the Vikings having wins over both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
As we look forward to the next 11 games, the Vikings offense feels much-improved, but how does it looks when you look at the stats.
In doing a deep dive, there were three stats that I found particularly interesting. Let’s break them down.
The power rankings view the Vikings highly once again
The Minnesota Vikings currently sit at 5-1 and are primed to make it 6-1 against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Last week’s power rankings had the Vikings ranked highly with their highest ranking at three and their lowest being at six.
This week saw a lot of the same. Here are the post-week seven power rankings.
There is plenty to be optimistic about heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals
Coming off their bye at 5-1, the Minnesota Vikings have an opportunity to come out of it hot with a win over the Arizona Cardinals at home on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams matchup relatively well with two high-powered offenses and defenses that have shown a lot of struggles. The Vikings also don’t have the full advantage of a bye week, as the Cardinals will be playing the Vikings on 10 days rest instead of just seven.
Despite that, the Vikings still have plenty to be optimistic about. Here are five reason for optimism heading into week seven.
Another talented wide receiver is being rumored in trade talks and the Minnesota Vikings should make the move on the former first-round pick
The Minnesota Vikings are 5-1 and the trade deadline is fast approaching.
There are different ideas on whether they should try to be aggressive at the deadline. While adding a talented player could end up helping the Vikings out this season, will it make a difference in the long run?
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been more than willing to trade and his trades have seen a constant theme: training for players with inexpensive contracts and team control. Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock each have two-plus seasons of team control.
Another player that fits that description is Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who the team has received calls about trading.
Broncos have received multiple trade inquiries about star DE Bradley Chubb and WRs Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, sources told ESPN. Other teams believe that the Broncos will not sell low in any deal.
More ahead on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown at 10 am ET.https://t.co/EXcnNoQOsj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 23, 2022
Jeudy hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in his short NFL career but that isn’t all his fault. Having played with both Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, Jeudy hasn’t had the best quarterbacks to get him the football. He has 107 catches for 1,613 yards and five touchdowns in his career.
Having been the 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Jeudy was viewed as an explosive route runner that could create separation with little to no issue and was viewed as the best route runner in a class with Justin Jefferson.
The biggest issue with Jeudy has been with drops. He has 17 recorded drops over his 32 games per PFF’s charting. Some of that has been remedied since his rookie season, as 12 of those drops came in 2020.
What could the Vikings do with Jeudy at receiver? He would give them an element that they don’t have with both Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn: a natural separator as a route runner. They need some explosiveness to pair with Jefferson and the Vikings having three receivers drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, including both Jefferson and Jalen Reagor, would give the room would be a lot of talent.
The cost for the Vikings would likely be a third-round pick and it would be a good price to pay considering the talent level of Jeudy and what he could bring to the Vikings this year and long-term.
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The Vikings’ offense has been pretty good through six weeks
The Minnesota Vikings enter the bye week at 5-1 and sit in a good spot with a two-game lead in the NFC North division.
Despite the immediate success in the first year of the Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era, the Vikings still have a lot of room to grow. The main area that they should see growth is on the offensive side of the football.
They rank 13th in points scored and 18th in yards gained heading into week seven and those numbers are similar to last year where they were 14th and 12th respectively.
Despite the lack of success as a unit, the PFF grades on an individual basis are good. Let’s take a look at those grades after the first six weeks.
The consensus is that the Minnesota Vikings are a top-five team in the National Football League
After the Vikings’ 24-16 win on Sunday over the Miami Dolphins, the league and analysts alike have really started to take notice of the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings.
It isn’t just those that cover the league, it’s also the analytical projection models. The Vikings are overwhelming favorites to make the playoffs per 538.
The latest power rankings from throughout the media have come out and the Vikings are viewed pretty highly. Here’s how they fared.
