TEMPE, Ariz. — Bruce Arians, like every other head coach in America, always emphasizes to his team the importance of each practice and each game.
But the Arizona Cardinals aren’t pretending to be unaware of the big picture as they enter the final month of the season.
At 10-2, they have the second-best record in the NFC. They want to stay in the top two in order to earn a bye in the playoffs and have a shot at home-field advantage.
“Yeah, we know where we sit. We know how important each game is,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “We know how important this game is.”
“This” game is a reference to playing the Vikings Thursday night in Glendale. At 8-4, the Vikings are a threat to the Cardinals’ hold on at least the No. 2 seed, just as the Packers could be in Week 16 and the Seahawks in Week 17.
“You can’t help but notice it, know it, and hear about it,” Palmer said on Monday of the playoff picture. “B.A. (Arians) said today, a couple times, that this is the playoffs. This is that next game, ‘you’ve got to win’ game type of feel that we’re going into this game with because we know where they sit, and we can think about that because this game is that important.
“This game means so much for that seed that we’re all shooting for. We’re very focused on that and we understand all the circumstances around us.”
It’s a difficult matchup for the Vikings. They lost to Seattle, 38-7, last Sunday, and three defensive starters are out with injuries. Plus, they have to travel to Glendale on a short week.
Better them than us, Arians said.
“It’s so much easier to be at home, I will admit, on Thursday,” Arians said, “because you can at least have another walkthrough on Wednesday at a longer pace, where instead, you’d have to get on a plane and travel again. If you’re swollen from the game, you’re going to get back on the plane and swell some more, so it’s very, very hard.”
The Cardinals could clinch the NFC West this week with a victory and a loss or a tie by the Seahawks.
So far this season, the Cardinals have proven to be a mature team with a businesslike approach.
Arians is smart, too, in preparing a team in a short week. Every practice this week has been a glorified walkthrough, and Arians didn’t plan to have his players break a sweat until Wednesday.
The Cardinals and Vikings didn’t play the past two years, but they are familiar with each other. That’s because Arians was offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh when Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati.
“I have as much respect for Zim as for any defensive coordinator I’ve ever gone against,” Arians said. “His team is extremely well-coached. Defensively, they know where they’re supposed to be. They know their assignments and they play hard and physical. They’re going to be a double A-gap blitz team. Because we had a little problem with it in Seattle, we’ll probably see a little bit more of it. He puts his guys in position to be successful.”
SERIES HISTORY: 24th regular-season meeting. Vikings lead series, 13-10, and have won the last three, all in Minnesota. This is the first time the Vikings will play in Arizona since 2009. The teams faced each other for five consecutive seasons from 2008 through 2012. But much has changed since then. Both teams have different coaches, and both have become contenders. The Vikings are tied with Green Bay atop the NFC North and the Cardinals are atop the NFC West.
GAME PLAN
–The defensive game plan won’t be complicated: stop running back Adrian Peterson. Force quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to try and win the game with his arm. The Cardinals like the matchup of their secondary against the Vikings’ receivers.
On offense, things get a bit more complicated. The Cardinals have struggled with blitzes up the middle, and the Vikings run that scheme very well. To combat that, the Cardinals could go to an empty backfield at times, with rookie running back David Johnson lined up in the slot. Johnson is a dangerous receiver, and quarterback Carson Palmer is smart enough to get rid of the ball quickly.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Vikings DE Everson Griffen vs. Cardinals LT Jared Veldheer.
Veldheer had a shaky start to the season but has played very well over the last month. Griffen has 7.5 sacks. The Cardinals will leave Veldheer alone to block Griffen most of the time.
–Cardinals ILB Deone Bucannon vs. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson.
Bucannon plays inside despite weighing just 211 pounds. He compensates with speed and toughness. The Cardinals need him to be on point against the NFL’s best runner.