EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings hit one rare trifecta and are hoping to go for another one.
Minnesota (9-2) just played three consecutive road games for the first time since 2017 and just the 11th time in franchise history.
The 2024 rendition of the Vikings became the first squad to win all three consecutive roadies.
Now the group will be rewarded with three consecutive home games, beginning at noon (CT) Sunday when Arizona (6-5) visits U.S. Bank Stadium.
Vikings Uniform
Back at home for the first time in almost a month, the Vikings will wear their modern home uniform combination of purple jerseys and white pants.
4 Storylines
1. Humongous home-field advantage
Kyler Murray will try to be the first Cardinals quarterback to beat the Vikings at home since Jim Hart did 47 years ago. Hart led the St. Louis Cardinals to a 27-7 victory at Metropolitan Stadium on Nov. 6, 1977.
Really, halfbacks Wayne Morris and Terry Metcalf influenced the win more than Hart, combining to rush for 265 yards on 38 attempts (nearly seven yards per pop). They scored four total touchdowns, including one apiece as receiving targets. Hart finished 10-for-14 with 143 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
It was Don Coryell's final season as Cardinals coach, before taking his "Air Coryell" offense to San Diego.
Since then, the Vikings are 10-0 at home in regular-season games against the Cardinals. That run of dominance is representative of a franchise-record home win streak versus a non-division opponent. Minnesota's only longer home win streaks are a 13-gamer against the Lions (1998-2010) and 11-game tear against the Bears (1972-82).
Here's a list of the quarterbacks the Vikings have sent home with a loss since Hart overcame them: Tom Tupa (1991), Boomer Esiason (1996), Jake Plummer (1999 and 2000), Matt Leinart (2006), Derek Anderson (2010), Kevin Kolb (2011), John Skelton (2012), Carson Palmer (2016) and Josh Rosen (2018).
Oh, and of course Murray in 2022.
2. Big test for run defense
Opponents have averaged 58.8 rushing yards in Minnesota's past four games.
Enter Arizona, which has the league's sixth-ranked rushing offense (140.3 yards per game) and running back James Conner, who's tied with Derrick Henry atop the NFL in missed tackles forced with 71 per NGS.
It's the toughest test for the Vikings defensive front since Week 7 when Mike linebacker Blake Cashman was sidelined with turf toe and Detroit ran for 144 yards. Making it even tougher, the Vikings placed key run defender and starting linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., on Injured Reserve on Tuesday.
There's at least a formula to slow down Arizona on the ground thanks to a future Vikings opponent.
Conner and the Cardinals were bullied by Seattle's run defense in Week 12, rushing for individual and team season lows of 8 and 49 yards. Connor gained 4 on his first rush, then netted 4 across his final six of the game.
Obviously, he's not the only Cardinals player with quick feet and field vision that's able to alter the game.
Murray's mobility presents difficulties on designed runs and scrambles. Although he's using his legs less, rushing a career-low 4.4 times per game, he's had great success with a career-best 7.9-yard average. Arizona is 3-2 this year when Murray has 40-plus rush yards – with narrow losses to Buffalo and Detroit.
3. Pressuring the protection
Murray has posted two of his eight highest single-game passing totals in two career games against Minnesota. Overall, he's completed 60 of 80 throws (75%) for 726 yards (363 avg.), six passing touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has rushed for 67 yards and a score — and taken seven sacks.
We're focusing on that last figure because Murray was sacked more than anyone else in 2019, his rookie campaign, but has improved at navigating the pocket in the past five seasons. In that span, Murray owns the eighth-lowest sack rate (5.68 percent of dropbacks) among 16 quarterbacks who've played in at least 60 games. Josh Allen is the lowest of the group at 4.32%, and Russell Wilson is at the other end at 8.78%.
Murray's been dropped 20 times so far in 2024; one-fourth of those occurred in Week 12. The only offenses who have allowed fewer sacks are Buffalo (13), Green Bay (15), Baltimore (16) and Denver (19).
The Vikings pass rush, however, is unlike any that Arizona has seen this year. Minnesota's defense ranks first in pressures (131), second in pressure rate (27.8%) and fourth in sacks (38). Three players – Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard and Pat Jones II – have 7.0 or more and five have notched at least 3.0.
For comparison's sake: Four Cardinals defenders have 3-plus sacks, but none have more than 4.5.
Furthermore, Murray has struggled against the blitz – and the Vikings are blitzing at the second-highest clip (37.8%) per Next Gen Stats. The dual-threat's completion rate is more than 15 points lower in 2024 when he's attacked by five or more rushers, and his passer rating drops from 105.2 to 79.3.
Notably, Murray lost his lone start against a Brian Flores-coached defense, against Miami in 2020, but he posted 283 pass yards, 106 rush yards, four total touchdowns and a 150.5 passer rating.
4. Sam Darnold's strong play
It's OK with us that Darnold is continuing to fly under the national radar.
His nine games this season with a passer rating above 100 is tied for the most in the NFL with Lamar Jackson, who seems to be running away with everybody's MVP vote. Darnold's mark also is tied for the third most in a season in Vikings history, behind 10 by Brett Favre (2009) and Daunte Culpepper (2000).
Turnovers nipped Darnold at the start of Minnesota's four-game win streak, but he rebounded in the past two with admirable resiliency and execution of Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's system. In wins at Tennessee and Chicago, Darnold posted a perfect 4:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Here's a glimpse of the big picture: His 21 touchdown passes through 11 games is a career high, along with his 67.6% completion rate and 101.7 passer rating. He has an NFL-best 43 connections of 20-plus yards and ranks fifth in yards per attempt (8.3) among qualified quarterbacks. Yup, Darnold is crushing it.
Extra point: The Cardinals are pressuring opponents on only 29.2% of dropbacks (third lowest per NGS). It's an important stat because Darnold is hitting 74.5% of throws under no pressure and 51.0% against it.
3 Things 'Bout the Cardinals
1. Coaching connections
Once a Viking, always a Viking, right?
We're happy that a flock of former Vikings coaches – Arizona Head Coach Jonathan Gannon, Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing, Defensive Coordinator Nick Rallis and outside linebackers coach Rob Rodriguez, tight ends coach Ben Steele, linebackers coach Sam Siefkes and head strength and conditioning coach Evan Marcus – are thriving in the desert, but there won't be a loss of sleep if the Vikings prevail on Sunday.
Here's some Vikings-connected insight on each: Gannon knows well the Hall of Fame-level skills of Harrison Smith as he served as quality control and assistant defensive backs coach for Minnesota from 2014-17; Smith made three Pro Bowls in that window. Petzing spent six seasons (2014-19) tutoring wide receivers and quarterbacks for the Vikings, and he assisted Kirk Cousins in his debut season wearing Purple. Rallis, who is just 31 years old, worked in quality control and with the Vikings linebackers from 2018-20. His roots in the Land of 10,000 Lakes extend deeper as he excelled at Edina High School and played linebacker for the Golden Gophers. Lastly, Rodriguez joined Minnesota and the NFL coaching ranks in 2015 as assistant defensive line coach. He helped the Vikings front flourish for five seasons.
Steele (Vikings assistant line coach in 2021), Siefkes (defensive quality control/assistant linebackers, 2021-22) and Marcus (head strength and conditioning, 2014-15) also previously wore purple.
The best "welcome back" would be loud noise on Cardinals third downs and after any Vikings touchdowns.
2. Efficient offense
Arizona has three times as many wins through 12 games this season as it did in 2023.
Kudos to Petzing, and the entire Cardinals offense.
Arizona is tied for fifth in the NFL in yards per play (6.0); it's 12th in percentage of drives ending in offensive points (42.3%) and 11th in expected points contributed by all offense (67.48), which is a tool used by Pro Football Reference that estimates the expected number of points based on down, distance and yard line. Anyhow, each is an improvement from 2023 – when Arizona ranked 17th, 18th and 21st.
Murray's decision-making has improved, too. He's tossed four picks on 313 pass attempts (1.3%) and is completing 68.7% of throws. The former is a career low, and the latter is his best since going to the Pro Bowl in 2021 (69.2%). Also, Murray's QBR of 72.5 represents a career high and is fourth overall in the NFL, trailing perennial MVP candidates Josh Allen (73.2), Joe Burrow (75.6) and Lamar Jackson (75.9).
3. Big receiving threats
We literally mean big.
Murray's top three targets are tight end Trey McBride and receivers Marvin Harrison, Jr., and Michael Wilson. The shortest of the three is Wilson at 6-foot-2. McBride and Harrison are 6-4. That's a lot of size, and play strength, for Minnesota's defense to deal with on the outside and over the middle of the field.
McBride, a second-round draft choice in 2022, is having a terrific third season. He leads Arizona in targets (80), receptions (61) and receiving yards (685) but is searching for his first touchdown of the year.
He's actually in the "T.J. Hockenson realm of production" since 2023, averaging 5.3 catches, 55.9 yards and 2.9 first downs per contest whereas Hockenson has put up 6.1, 62.4 and 3.2 in the same categories.
Both of them, by the way, were in peak form in Week 12. Hockenson delivered seven catches for 114 yards, including 48 in overtime at Chicago, while McBride snatched 12 of 15 targets for 133 at Seattle.
It's not been as smooth sailing of late for Harrison. After notching his second career 100-yard game at Miami on Oct. 27, the fourth player picked in April's annual event and son of the Hall of Fame Colts wide receiver has been limited to 135 yards and a single score on 10 catches. Harrison's inability to separate so far – his 1.9 yards of separation is lowest among 130 players with 35 or more targets per NGS – has resulted in him catching fewer passes than these first-rounders selected after him: Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brock Bowers and Brian Thomas, Jr., as well as second-rounder Ladd McConkey.
2 Vikings to Track
Jonathan Greenard & Andrew Van Ginkel: Both offseason additions at outside linebacker enter this week's game with 9.0 sacks apiece.
Greenard is closing in on his career-best for a season (12.5 in 2023 with Houston), and Van Ginkel already exceeded his previous high-mark (6.0 in 2023 with Miami).
They are the first Vikings duo with 9.0 or more sacks through 11 games of a season since 1989 (Keith Millard, 15; Chris Doleman, 12; Al Noga, 9.5).
1 Key Matchup
Justin Jefferson vs. Cardinals secondary
Justin Jefferson had failed to reach 50 yards receiving as a starter on 13 occasions in his career entering Week 12.
In games after such rarities (including in one season opener and one first start returning from injury), Jefferson has averaged 107.3 yards. That average includes games of 166, 147, 139, 223 and 150 yards.
Advantage, Jefferson.
The Cardinals, however, have been stingy so far to top receivers. Two players have ledgered 100-yard games against them: San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk in Week 5 and Odunze in Week 9.
Advantage, Arizona.
Here's a history lesson: Jefferson has played well in two games facing the Cardinals, pairing six catches in each with a touchdown in his first meeting and a near 100-yard game in his second, but hasn't been the game's leading receiver in either – he was outdone by Arizona's Rondale Moore and Maxx Williams, and teammate K.J. Osborn in 2021 and Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins in 2022.
Jefferson's next catch will move him past Vikings Legend Kyle Rudolph (453) for sixth on the franchise receptions list.
