Arizona Cardinals vs Minnesota Vikings Prediction, 8/26/2023 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Preseason

Game: Arizona Cardinals vs Minnesota Vikings

Date: Saturday, August 26, 2023

Location: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN

TV: No TV

Odds/Point Spread: Vikings (+2)

Total/Over-Under: 35

U.S. Bank Stadium is the location where the Minnesota Vikings (13-4 last year) will attempt to beat the Arizona Cardinals (4-13 last season) on Saturday. Arizona opens this matchup as 2-point favorites from oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 35.

The Arizona Cardinals ended the year with a 4-13 record. When they last took the field, the Cardinals took on the 49ers and took a loss by a final of 38-13. Corey Clement was the leader on the ground for the Cardinals with 8 attempts for 23 yards (2.9 yds per attempt). A.J. Green averaged 30.3 yards per catch by totaling 91 yds on 3 receptions. David Blough connected on 14/18 with 180 yds passing and 1 TD. He had a quarterback rate of 87.3 and finished the contest with 2 interceptions. In the running game, the Cardinals conceded 169 yards on 37 attempts, which is an average of 4.6 yards per run allowed. Arizona conceded 15 pass completions on 20 attempts for a total of 142 yds, and a completion percentage of 75.0%. Once the final whistle blew, they tallied 50 plays which converted into 255 yards. The Arizona Cardinals ran the football 20 times and tallied 61 yards, which is an average of 3.1 yards per attempt.

Regarding scoring points, the Arizona Cardinals were sitting at 20.0 PPG. As a team they had an average of 110.2 yards in the run game, ranking them 22nd in the National Football League. The Cardinals earned 5,499 total yards last year. Arizona accumulated 189 1st downs, and they were flagged for 118 infractions for 916 yards. They turned the football over 25 different times (17 picks and 8 fumbles lost). Arizona amassed 17 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing touchdowns.

The Cardinals were ranked 31st in the NFL regarding team defense, conceding 26.4 points per contest. They allowed 4.5 yards per rush and 118.6 rushing yards per game for the prior season. For the season, they conceded 2,016 rushing yards through 17 games. In terms of passing yards, the Cardinals conceded 3,915 yards which had them ranked 24th in the league. Over the course of their 17 games played, they conceded 230.3 yards per game through the air as well as allowing a completion percentage of 69.8%. They gave up 348.9 yards per contest ranking them 21st in the league. They conceded 29 passing touchdowns as well as 21 rushing touchdowns.

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The Vikings wrapped up their season with a 13-4 record. The last time they stepped on the gridiron, the Vikings walked away with a loss by a score of 31-24 when they played the Giants. Dalvin Cook carried the ball 15 times for 60 yds, finishing the game with 4.0 yards per carry for Minnesota. T.J. Hockenson was the leading receiver for the Vikings, catching 10 balls for 129 yds (12.9 yds per catch). Kirk Cousins (2 TDs) ended the contest with 273 yards on 31/39 through the air while his quarterback rating was 112.9. He kept the ball away from the defense with no interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 7.0 yards. Minnesota relinquished 30 running attempts for 142 yds (4.7 yards per carry). The Vikings pass defense allowed a completion percentage of 68.6%, relinquishing 289 yds on 24 out of 35 passing. The Vikings finished with a total of 332 yds while they ran 56 plays (5.9 yards per play). Minnesota rushed for 3.8 yards per tote, finishing the game with 61 yds on 16 carries.

When looking at their ability to score points, the Vikings were ranked 8th in the NFL averaging 24.9 points per outing. Last season, the Vikings had a total of 4,484 yards via the pass as well as averaging 263.8 passing yards per outing, giving them a rank of 6th in football. They had an average of 97.7 yards per game via the ground game and ran for 1,661 yards overall. The Minnesota Vikings averaged 361.5 yards per game which ranked them 7th in football. The Minnesota offense totaled 684 penalty yards on 88 infractions, which ranked them 24th in football in terms of giving up free yards. They threw 15 picks while losing 8 fumbles and they tallied 244 1st downs.

The Vikings conceded 25.1 points per game, ranking them 28th of all teams in the league. They allowed 23 touchdowns through the air in addition to 265.6 yards/contest, which had them sitting 31st in the NFL. Over the course of the season, they conceded 427 points in total. Minnesota allowed a total of 2,093 rushing yards (123.1 yards per contest) and 18 touchdowns rushing throughout last year. The Vikings defense participated in 1,118 plays, which ranked them 31st in the league. Their defense totaled 25 takeaways (10 fumbles and 15 interceptions) last year.

Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Vikings NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals -2

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