Arizona @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 20, 2016 ) Arizona 24, Minnesota 30

The Minnesota Vikings made a statement by avenging their NFC Championship Game loss last week and are bidding for their first winning streak of the season on Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals. The Vikings, however, would be wise not to overlook the Cardinals after being upended earlier this season by Buffalo, which also entered that contest as a double-digit underdog.

Minnesota's Kirk Cousins continues to ingratiate himself to his new team's fan base by completing at least 30 passes in his fourth straight game during last Sunday's 23-21 victory over Philadelphia. "I think that's fun for everybody on the outside, for people who follow this league to talk about, to discuss around the water cooler. But for me, I just want to do whatever it takes to win," the 30-year-old Cousins told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Cousins completed a season-high 40 passes in a shocking 27-6 loss to the Bills on Sept. 23, a result that had many questioning if the Vikings had overlooked a foe that has struggled on offense this season. With that in mind, the Cardinals enter Sunday's game at U.S. Bank Stadium with the NFL's league-worst offense and rushing attack despite posting their first win of 2018 with a 28-18 triumph over San Francisco last week.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Vikings -10. O/U: 43

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (1-4): Josh Rosen recorded his first career win last week despite completing just 10 of 25 passes for 170 yards, with fellow rookie Christian Kirk reeling in his lone touchdown pass from 75 yards out. David Johnson posted his eighth career two-touchdown performance for Arizona, which nearly doubled its season scoring output despite being limited to just 220 total yards, 10 first downs and 49 offensive plays. Budda Baker had 16 tackles last week to increase his team-leading total to 36 while fellow safety Tre Boston notched his second interception in three weeks.

ABOUT THE VIKINGS (2-2-1): Adam Thielen leads the league in receptions (47) and third-down catches (14) while serving as the third player in NFL history with five 100-yard performances to start the season. Fellow wideout Stefon Diggs has done quite well in his own right, reeling in double-digit receptions in back-to-back contests. While the passing game is potent, Minnesota's 31st-ranked rushing attack has yet to get off the ground as Dalvin Cook has missed two of the last three contests with a hamstring injury. Latavius Murray matched season highs in attempts (11) and yards (42) last week and faces a Cardinals rush defense that has yielded an NFL-high eight touchdowns and second-worst 142.4 yards per game on the ground.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald did not score a touchdown in his previous five road games against his hometown team.

2. Minnesota DE Danielle Hunter has collected a sack in each of first five contests of the season.

3. Cardinals DE Chandler Jones earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording a sack, forced fumble and recovery versus San Francisco.

PREDICTION: Vikings 31, Cardinals 13