Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals: NFL Week 14 Picks
By Erik Lambert
Aug 16, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) hugs Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) after their game at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota Vikings win 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
The two teams may not meet each other much but it doesn’t decrease the high stakes of this Thursday Night Football confrontation. The Minnesota Vikings are reeling from a beat down at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks while the Arizona Cardinals are trying to hold those same Seahawks off in their bid to win the NFC West. Who gets the win?
Backdrop:
People are starting to wonder about the Vikings. They looked like world beaters a few weeks ago but since then have been exposed by a number of good teams like Green Bay and Seattle. They struggle throwing the ball on offense while their defense was picked apart by Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson.
That’s bad news with Carson Palmer coming to town. The veteran QB is playing some of the best football of his career and is in the hunt for MVP. It will be interesting to see if Mike Zimmer can get his unit ready for that challenge, especially in that hostile stadium down in Phoenix where the Vikings were blown out the last time they visited.
Matchup To Watch:
WR Larry Fitzgerald vs. CB Terence Newman
Two older but no less effective veterans going against each other is often how games are decided. Larry Fitzgerald is having a career resurgence, already over 1,000 yards on the season with seven touchdowns. The same can be said for cornerback Terence Newman, who has been able to extend his long career with the Vikings. He’ll be the one asked to shadow Fitzgerald most of the night.
Key Stat:
Turnovers will be the name of the game in this contest. Palmer has only thrown nine interceptions on the season while the Cardinals defense has forced 16, returning three for touchdowns. On the other side, Teddy Bridgewater has eight interceptions but two have come in the past two games while the Vikings defense have just eight interceptions for the season. Whomever wins the takeaway battle will be in prime position to win.
Prediction: Cardinals win 30-17
Smart money says to go with the hotter team in close games, especially if they’re at home. The Cardinals are just playing better right now and are another of those bad matchups the Vikings have been seeing the past few weeks. Unless Adrian Peterson can control the game and Bridgewater can snap out of his funk, this game belongs to Arizona.