Vikings vs Cardinals Odds & Picks | NFL Week 8

Vikings vs Cardinals Odds

Sunday, Oct. 30

1 p.m. ET

FOX

This game will feature two teams that should be well rested. The Vikings are coming off their bye week and the Cardinals had extra rest after playing last Thursday night against the Saints.

The Vikings might be the quietest 5-1 team in the NFL, as it feels like people only remember the stinker they put up on Monday Night Football against the Eagles. This a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions.

Arizona is coming off an ugly home loss to the Saints, a game in which it gave up 361 yards passing and four touchdowns to Andy Dalton. Yikes. The Cardinals also continue to get torched by tight ends, as Juwan Johnson caught all five of his targets for 32 yards and two touchdowns.

The entire NFC West is a mess after the 49ers ugly home loss to the Chiefs and injury to Seattle receiver DK Metcalf. At 3-4, the Cardinals are somehow still in the thick of the division race.

On the Minnesota side, Justin Jefferson continues to make the case that he's the best wide receiver in the NFL, as he's gone over the 100-yard mark in each of his past three games and in four of six overall. Dalvin Cook is also getting healthier after suffering a shoulder injury early in the season and should be ready to rock after having the bye week to rest up.

Cardinals vs. Vikings Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how the Cardinals and Vikings match up statistically:

Cardinals vs. Vikings DVOA Breakdown

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Overall DVOA	26	24
Pass DVOA	28	21
Rush DVOA	21	21

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Overall DVOA	14	21
Pass DVOA	17	27
Rush DVOA	9	6

The Vikings, despite having two quality running backs in Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison have been one of the most pass heavy teams in the NFL this season, ranking sixth in pass play rate. I would fully expect another pass-centric game plan this week against a Cardinals' defense that sits 27th in pass defense DVOA and 19th in yards per pass attempt allowed.

This is also a spot where the Vikings' offensive line should keep Kirk Cousins upright, as Arizona gets pressure on the quarterback at the seventh-lowest rate in the NFL.

It is hard to envision the Cardinals having much success on defense, especially with the Vikings coming off their bye. Minnesota simply has too many ways to beat opponents, and against Arizona, there's the added element that the Cardinals are absolutely horrendous against tight ends. Betting on an Irv Smith Jr. anytime touchdown is not a bad idea.

On the flip side, this Cardinals' offense got a much needed jolt last week as DeAndre Hopkins returned from his six-week suspension. Unfortunately, we still won't be able to see what this offense can do at full strength as the Cardinals will be without Marquise Brown and possibly James Conner.

Hopkins looked like his usual elite self, commanding targets at all levels of the field and hauling in 10 passes for 103 yards.

The Vikings actually are equally bad against both the run and the pass, ranking 21st in DVOA in both of those categories. However, if you look a bit deeper, you'll see Minnesota sits 29th in yards per pass attempt allowed. With Conner banged up and replacement Eno Benjamin's greatest strength being his passing-game chops, I'd expect a more aerial attack from Kliff Kingsbury.

Betting Picks

Both of these defenses are pretty bad and with Hopkins back for the Cardinals, it creates a way scenario that this could be a back-and-forth affair through the air.

The Cardinals have run the second most plays per game in the NFL at 70.3 and when you factor in the Vikings penchant for throwing the rock, we get a situation where there could be quite a few points scored in this game.

Give me the over here.

Quickslip: Over 48.5 | Bet to 49