The Week 14 Thursday Night Football showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals is not your run of the mill TNF contest. The two teams playing in front of the nation on Thursday night are near-locks for the NFC playoffs and at least on the surface, appear to be Super Bowl contenders.
There is a lot to consider in this game, as both the Vikings and Cardinals are still playing for first place in their respective divisions. Minnesota is currently tied with the Green Bay Packers atop the NFC North, but a loss would put them a game back. Arizona probably has the NFC West locked up at 10-2, but they still need to win at least two more games to officially fend off the Seattle Seahawks for the crown.
All things considered, it should be a fun and entertaining game. We won’t be graced with the Color Rush custom football uniforms in this game, (that comes next week), but the Cardinals and Vikings still have cool jerseys and logos and on paper this should be a tight contest. Let’s touch on the biggest things you’ll want to watch for:
No Defense?
When the 2015 NFL season started, there was little confusion as to what kind of defenses the Vikings and Cardinals were: good ones. Unfortunately, Arizona has been a little hit or miss during the second half of the season and Minnesota is slowly coming off the rails. It’s the Vikings we really have to worry about, as they’ll be missing some very key defensive starters in Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Linval Joseph already ruled out for this game. Smith’s absence opens the door to some deep shots for an already dangerous Arizona passing attack, Barr’s absence hurts Minnesota’s pass rush and Joseph’s absence could allow the Cardinals to run the ball more easily. Not good for the Vikings, is what we’re driving at.
All Day
Adrian Peterson couldn’t go “all day” last week, but if the Vikes stand a chance in this one, he’ll surely have to tonight. He stepped up in a big way two weeks ago against the Falcons, but he’s now shrunken twice recently against solid opponents. Will Peterson wilt in the face of the Cardinals, or will he be the reason why Minnesota gets a huge road win? That’s definitely a big reason why I’ll be tuning in live.
Air Strike
All those Vikings injuries make the mouth water because Arizona’s offense was already so potent, and now they’ll have a chance to really explode. Carson Palmer is a legit MVP candidate and he’s blessed with explosive weapons in Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. Chances are Palmer has a big outing in this one and two or more of his receivers are heavily involved.
Teddy’s Test
On the other side of what could oddly end up being a bit of a shootout is Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater has shown some promise at times in his first two years in the league, but he’s also caved when under pressure. Anytime he’s faced a top-5 defense he’s lost and anytime the team’s fate is put in his hands, he usually comes up short. That’s been the case twice in the past three weeks, but it will definitely be worth watching to see if he can finally get the job done on a big stage.
Got another reason to check out tonight’s TNF matchup? Tell us in the comments below!
