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Leading up to the Arizona Cardinals‘ Week 13 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Vikings Wire managing editor Andrew Harbaugh takes us “behind enemy lines” to know more about the team’s Week 13 opponent.
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold has been great this season. What has been the secret?
Sam Darnold and Kevin O’Connell have really worked on simplifying the process for him. Darnold Isn’t being asked to make plays but rather to take what is given to him from the defense. Of course some big play opportunities open up at times but he is dominating with the short to intermediate passing game and letting his playmakers make the plays.
The offense
What are the greatest strengths and weaknesses in the offense?
The biggest strength of this offense is that they have four separate playmakers for which the defense has to account. We saw it last week with Jefferson having just 27 yards, he was contained but Addison and Hockenson had just under 300 receiving yards combined. On defense, it is without a doubt the pressure they bring. Brian Flores doesn’t let opposing quarterbacks breathe, much less be able to process what he is doing at times.
The defense
What do the Vikings do great and not so great on defense?
The great part on defense is they get to the quarterback. So far Andrew Van Ginkel and Pat Jones II are both at career-highs for sacks and Jonathan Greenard is on his way to joining them with a career year. They do struggle later in the game though with the secondary getting a little sluggish and relaxed in coverage. If the Cardinals keep things close late in the game they could take advantage with some big plays in the passing game.
Matchups
What matchups are you most excited for in this meeting and which ones concern you the most?
The matchup between Marvin Harrison Jr. and Byron Murphy Jr. is the answer to both questions. Murphy Jr. has done a great job of finding the ball this year with four interceptions which could make things interesting. Something has to give between these two and I am very excited to see how it unfolds.
Prediction
Who wins? How does it go down?
I don’t think there is a better matchup between teams on Sunday, or Monday. This is going to be a tough game, lots of old fashion playstyles mixed in with some new innovation between the coaching staffs. I think it is much closer than we could ever expect but I am giving an edge to the Cardinals. In a 28-24 game, I think Kyler Murray creates problems by extending plays and I also think the Vikings offensive line is in for a trap game against a hot and cold Cardinals defensive front to get after Sam Darnold.
More Cardinals and NFL coverage
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals-Vikings Week 13 Q&A preview with Vikings Wire