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Cardinals vs. Vikings Betting: Is Arizona one of Week 8’s best underdog picks?
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Updated:
Read Time: 5 minutes
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After some disappointing results and performances in the first several weeks of the NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals played perhaps their best game of the year last week in picking up a much-needed win over the New Orleans Saints.
Building off of that performance and result is imperative if Arizona is to have a chance to really right the ship, and this Sunday’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings is an opportunity to further strengthen their confidence.
The Vikings hold top spot in the NFC North through seven weeks, with their 5-1 mark putting them out in front of the slip-sliding Green Bay Packers and the not-quite-there-yet Chicago Bears.
Will the Vikings extend their win streak to five following a week off? Or will the Cardinals come to town and leave with a .500 record?
If things fall in line with our consensus picks, Minnesota will take care of business at home. But this is a very winnable game for Arizona.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings Matchup Information and Betting Odds
Matchup Information
- Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings
- Venue & Location: U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- Date: Sunday, October 30, 2022
- Game Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00 p.m. local time)
- How to Watch Cardinals vs. Vikings: FOX
Cardinals vs. Vikings Odds
Game odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, October 27 at 9:20 a.m. Eastern.
Spread
- Arizona Cardinals +3.5 (-114)
- Minnesota Vikings -3.5 (-106)
Over/Under
- Over 48.5 (-115)
- Under 48.5 (-105)
Moneyline
- Arizona Cardinals +148
- Minnesota Vikings -176
Are the Vikings Really a Championship Contender?
As per the latest odds at places like BetOnline, the Vikings are among the top favorites to win Super Bowl LVII.
At BetOnline, they are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the fifth-best odds (+1600), just ahead of the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys (both +1700) and just behind the San Francisco 49ers (+1500).
That the Vikings are where they are is pretty astounding, given that they weren’t expected to be there at the start of the season.
But Minnesota’s odds not being shorter despite their sparkling 5-1 record shows that they still aren’t thought of in the same breath as others.
In their current four-game win streak, all four wins have come by one score. And their best win of the season came in the opener against the Packers, which looks less impressive with each passing week.
Statistically, the Vikes don’t have an overly impressive profile offensively or defensively.
You’d think that for them to be 5-1, Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook would be putting up huge numbers, but that isn’t the case. Cook doesn’t even have a 100-yard game yet this season.
Defensively, they are last in the league in passing yards allowed per attempt (8.4), 28th in opponent completion percentage (68.6%), and just 13th in rushing yards allowed per carry (4.3).
Can Murray & the Cardinals Build Off of Last Week?
The Cardinals would have been in some serious peril had they not won last week’s TNF matchup with the Saints, but they delivered when they needed to.
After failing to average at least seven yards per pass attempt for 11 straight games, Murray averaged seven yards per attempt against New Orleans, completing 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards.
Minnesota’s pass defense numbers offer reason to be hopeful that Murray can hit that mark two games in a row, and if he is able to, it bodes well for Arizona’s chances.
Since the start of the 2020 season, the Cardinals are 16-5 when Murray averages at least seven yards per pass attempt.
Defense played the biggest role in shifting things in Arizona’s favor, with pick-sixes on consecutive possessions late in the first half turning a 14-all game into a 28-14 Cardinals lead going into the locker room.
Prior to those two big plays, Antonio Hamilton’s first-quarter pick in the end zone stopped the Saints when they were driving to potentially make it 14-3.
If not for that pick, New Orleans might have scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, and who’s to say the last few minutes of the first half would have unfolded the same way had the Saints been up 21-6 instead of 14-6?
The Cardinals have won the turnover battle in six straight games, and they are tied for fourth in the NFL in turnover margin (+5), tied for ninth in takeaways (e), and tied for second in fewest giveaways (five).
Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings Prediction and Best Bets
Cardinals vs. Vikings Prediction: Cardinals to win
Cardinals vs. Vikings Best Bets: Cardinals to cover (Best Value: +3.5 @ -109 at BetUS), Cardinals/Vikings over (Best Value: over 48.5 @ -115 at BetOnline) & Cardinals team total over (Best Value: over 21.5 @ -135 at BetMGM)
Last week, I felt things lined up well for the Cardinals to win and picked them to do so.
They didn’t let me down against New Orleans, and I’m going back to the well again this week, thanks to the factors above that line up favorably for them to improve to 3-1 on the road this season.
It was nice last week to have the over hit in the third quarter, and while we might not get it that quickly in Minneapolis, I feel confident that it will hit with minimal stress.
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