Predictions for the latest round of NFL fixtures, by Sky Sports News HQ‘s Richard Graves.
Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals – Live on Sky Sports 4, 1.25am Friday
Just four days after suffering a crushing 38-7 defeat at home to the Seahawks, the Vikings go on the road to face the 10-2 Cardinals.
Not only did the Seahawks blunt what had been the NFL’s number one ranked rushing offense on Sunday, they completely shut down Adrian Peterson in their blowout win. Peterson was kept to just 18 yards in eight carries and now he prepares to face a Cardinals team who’ve allowed just one player to rush for over 100 yards against them this season.
That player was Todd Gurley on October 4 but Arizona atoned for that by shutting him down in their victory over the Rams last weekend. Gurley had just nine carries for 41 yards as the Cardinals solidified their place on top of the NFC West with a 27-3 win. WR Larry Fitzgerald became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 1000 receptions in an offense which gains more yards than anyone else and scores more points than anyone else this season.
To win this game the Vikings will have to control the clock through their star running back Adrian Peterson but Arizona have repeatedly shown they don’t allow run heavy teams such as Seattle and St. Louis to dictate games against them and neither will Minnesota.
