The Minnesota Vikings travel to University of Phoenix Stadium to face the Arizona Cardinals in a much anticipated Thursday night matchup. The Vikings are currently tied for first place in the NFC North, and head coach Mike Zimmer will look for his team to bounce back after a crushing defeat to the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday. Arizona is currently in first place in the NFC West, and is currently on a six-game winning streak.
The Cardinals are currently sitting in the second spot in the NFC playoff picture, and Bruce Arians will need his team to finish strong if they want to get a first-round bye in the postseason. Quarterback Carson Palmer is having arguably his best NFL season since entering the league in 2003, and is a leader on the field for the Cardinals this season.
Palmer has thrown for 3,693 yards with 29 touchdowns to nine interceptions. The Cardinals franchise quarterback is coming off a huge game over the St. Louis Rams in which he threw over 350 yards with two touchdowns. Arians will look to give Palmer some time in the pocket by producing a strong ground game on Thursday night.
Both Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson will not play Thursday night, and running back David Johnson will look to have another big performance as the Cardinals' lead back. The rookie running back was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and has turned into a productive player for Arizona this season. This past Sunday against the Rams, Johnson rushed the ball 22 times for 99 yards, and caught two passes for 21 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals are currently ranked as the top offense in the league and are averaging 419.5 yards per game this year.
While Arizona's offense can score in bunches, they also have the fourth-ranked defense in the league, and are third in the league for interceptions. The Cardinals secondary is stacked with talent, and players like Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson look to be impact players in Thursday's game.
The Vikings have a solid defense as well, and will be fired up after giving up a season-high 38 points to Seattle on Sunday. Rookie linebacker Eric Kendricks has been a crucial player for the Vikings this season, and leads the team with tackles with a combined 62 tackles on the year. Kendricks and defensive end Everson Griffen will look to get after Palmer Thursday night as the two have combined for 11.5 sacks this season.
While the Vikings defense has stepped up this year, the key to their victory will likely come on the offensive side of the ball, particularly their rushing attack. Minnesota is currently ranked fifth in the league in terms of rushing yards per game, and star running back Adrian Peterson will see plenty of touches against the Cardinals defense.
Peterson currently leads the NFL with 1,182 rushing yards this season. The Vikings franchise running back is second in the league with eight touchdowns, and will look to find the end zone on Thursday evening. Zimmer will give Peterson plenty of opportunities, and he can also make an impact plays on passing downs as well.
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has struggled at times this season, and has thrown eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in his second year in the NFL. Zimmer has likely discussed how important ball security is after he threw another interception against the Seahawks, and knows his quarterback faces arguably his toughest test of the season against Arizona's secondary.
It looks to be a very interesting matchup between two teams that could face each other again come January. The game starts at 8:25 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Cardinals' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Vikings' radio broadcast, go here.
