Ricky Dimon
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It was a tale of two very different opening weeks in the 2021 NFL season for the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota lost in overtime at Cincinnati, while Arizona also had to play on the road but put a beatdown on Tennessee. Now the Vikings have to play away from home again, which may add insult to injury. Let’s take a look at the best same game parlay option for Vikings-Cardinals, and also be sure to check out our full game preview for picks on the side and total.
Arizona Cardinals -9.5 alternate spread (+180)
James Conner over 35.5 rushing yards (-113)
Adam Thielen to score a touchdown (+155)
Parlay odds: +1350
Part of the value in same game parlays, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as James Conner racking up a decent amount of rushing yards would obviously work well with an Arizona win. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with betting on Adam Thielen to find the endzone. But even if Thielen does that, there is no reason why the Cardinals can’t win big. Let’s break down each of the legs one by one.
Arizona Cardinals -9.5 alternate spread (+180)
Arizona thumped the Titans 38-13 and was outstanding on both sides of the football. The Cardinals rushed for 136 yards, Kyler Murray completed 21 of 32 passes for 289 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception, and they limited Derrick Henry to an anemic 58 yards on 17 carries. That defensive performance does not bode well for the Vikings, whose offense goes through Dalvin Cook. In the 27-24 overtime loss to the Bengals, Cook rushed for only 61 yards on 20 carries. That’s an alarming stat line against a Bengals defense that is not exactly spectacular. Kirk Cousins threw for 351 yards, but that’s because he attempted 49 passes as his team played from behind almost the entire way. It’s hard to see Cousins having as much success against an Arizona defense led by JJ Watt, Chandler Jones, Isaiah Simmons, and Budda Baker.
James Conner over 35.5 rushing yards (-113)
Arizona features a two-headed monster in the backfield — Conner and Chase Edmonds. Combined with Murray (20 yards on 5 keepers), they churned out 136 yards on the ground at Tennessee’s expense. Conner led the way in the carries department with 16, 4 more than Edmonds. The former Steeler turned them into 53 yards. Since this parlay needs the Cardinals to win by double digits, they will have to play from ahead almost the entire way. That naturally means run, run, and run some more. If that does turn out to be the case, you have to think Conner will get at least as many carries and probably even more yards than he did in Week 1.
Adam Thielen to score a touchdown (+155)
At the same time, Minnesota will be taking to the air if it is playing from behind. In a close game throughout against the Bengals, the Vikings threw 50 passes and kept it on the ground only 22 times. Thielen benefited to the tune of 9 catches on 10 targets for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yep, he scored twice in a losing effort. It stands to reason that Thielen can score at least once against the Cardinals even if his team loses by a lot.
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