Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Minnesota Vikings (5-4) have gone from the hottest team in the NFL to the coldest within the last month and will try to avoid a five-game losing streak when they host the Arizona Cardinals (4-4-1) on Sunday.

The Vikings had started the season at 5-0 before losing four in a row, while the Cardinals are still trying to get over the .500 mark for the first time this year.

Point spread: This game opened as a pick'em; the total was 41 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 23.6-19.2 Vikings (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Cardinals can cover the spread

Arizona has won five straight games during the month of November following a 23-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. The Cardinals did not cover the spread as 13.5-point home favorites, as they were coming off their bye and looked a little sluggish offensively.

Fortunately for them, they will be playing a struggling Minnesota team that has not run the ball well without Adrian Peterson and averaged just 14 points during its skid. Arizona should have no problem topping that number on offense and has an equally impressive defense.

Why the Vikings can cover the spread

The Cardinals are hurting a bit and will likely be playing with a gimpy Larry Fitzgerald after he was one of three players on the team to get an MRI on Monday. Fitzgerald will not miss this game in his hometown, but that does not mean he will not be negatively impacted by his knee injury.

Fitzgerald was targeted 18 times last week and ended up catching 12 passes for 133 yards, but still Arizona could not cover versus a team riding an eight-game losing streak in San Francisco.

The Vikings have won 10 of the past 13 meetings with the Cardinals and should be able to bounce back against this banged-up squad.

Smart pick

This is a huge game for both 2015 NFC division winners, as the loser will have a tough time making the playoffs again this year. Home field could well be the difference here, with Minnesota going 3-1 straight up and ATS in its first four games at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikes should probably be small chalk in this spot on the NFL point spreads, so bet them to win it.

Betting trends

The total has gone under in the Cardinals' last three games against the Vikings.

The Vikings are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games at home against teams with losing records.

The total has gone under in six of the Vikings' last eight games.

All NFL betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.