The Minnesota Vikings visit the Arizona Cardinals tonight in a game that is played on a ridiculously short week of recovery. The NFL cries regularly about their concerns for player safety. As long as they continue to schedule Thursday Night games they are not concerned with player safety. The league is more concerned about more prime time games generating more money than they are about the general welfare of the players. Even if most of these Thursday Night games are shitty games. Shitty because they are played on three days rest. Two days rest for the visiting team seeing as they have to spend a day traveling. People still pay a bunch to see a shitty NFL game. As long as we continue to pay the NFL will continue to schedule these Thursday Night games no matter the harm that it does to the players. There will always be more players.
As for this game that the NFL has seen fit to schedule, the Vikings will have their third shot at a so-called statement win. Their first two shots at a statement win didn't end well. A 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 11 and a 38-7 pasting by the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday. Those two games were at home. Maybe the Vikings will have a better time of it on the road. They have actually played quite well on the road this season at 4-2. This game in Arizona is a little different from the four that they have won. The Cardinals are one of the best teams in the league. Their record stands at 10-2 and their presence in the NFC is a big reason that most talking heads are unwilling to give the undefeated Carolina Panthers the keys to the Super Bowl right now. The Cardinals are strong on offense and defense. Special teams too. Quarterback Carson Palmer deserves a bunch of votes for league MVP. He's playing better than he ever has and throwing passes that few quarterbacks in the league can throw. He has a fleet of game-breaking receivers catching those throws. They can run the ball too. Injuries have elevated rookie running back David Johnson to the top of the depth chart but he might be the most talented back on the team. He's definitely the team's future at the position. The Cardinals are a complete team and the Vikings absolutely can not afford to make the mistakes (penalties and missed tackles) that plagued them in the two previous attempts at a signature win.
The Vikings can't afford any mistakes. The defense will be far from full strength. Nose tackle Linval Joseph, linebacker Anthony Barr, and safety Harrison Smith are the best defensive players on the team. They are also among the best in the league at their respective positions. Injuries will keep all three at home. The Vikings other starting safety Andrew Sendejo is also out for the game. Backup safety Antone Exum Jr. was injured in the Seahawks game and placed on injured reserve on Tuesday. Backup safety Robert Blanton is also among the wounded. He's dealing with a knee injury and didn't practice Monday or Tuesday and was limited in practice yesterday. The Vikings safety situation is so strained that they had no active safeties on the field for Monday's practice. The Vikings responded to that strained safety situation by elevating undrafted rookie Anthony Harris from the practice squad and signing free agent Shaun Prater. It's likely that the starting safeties for the Cardinals will be Robert Blanton and Anthony Harris. It's possible that the two new guys Harris and Prater will be on the field if Blanton has any issues with his knee. At least Prater was one of the final preseason cuts so he's familiar the defense. The Vikings are hobbled but most teams are hobbled this time of the season. The Vikings had a couple of days to deal with these injuries and prepare for this difficult game. Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd will slide over to Linval Jospeh's nose tackle spot. Tom Johnson will move into Floyd's 3-technique spot. Rookie linebacker Edmond Robinson will fill in for Anthony Barr at strong-side linebacker. Veteran Chad Greenway will replace Barr as the player with the radio helmet. He'll be charged with the calls and getting the defense set. I'm excited to see Robinson get some playing time. He's an extremely athletic, big linebacker. A couple of things that can't be taught. He's also very raw as a football player having played his college ball at itty-bitty Newberry College. He could shine but it's a huge stage to get that first shot. I'm also excited to see Harris play. He had a terrific college career at Virginia and it was a real surprise, to me at least, that he went undrafted. With so much talent missing from the Vikings defense coaching, avoiding penalties, and tackling will be of supreme importance.
The Vikings offense has to get it together. On the ground and through the air. The offense has really struggled when running back Adrian Peterson has been slowed. The Vikings offense has to be balanced. When the running game is slowed and they are forced to throw defenses have simply teed off on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The offensive line hasn't been able to provide any protection if defenses don't have to concern themselves with the run. That has to change.
The Vikings can win this game despite the depleted defense. The offense has to be balanced. They have to move the chains. They absolutely have to avoid mistakes. They can't afford to give the explosive Cardinals offense extra possessions.
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