The Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings will meet in Week 3 of the NFL preseason on Saturday, Aug. 26. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET from the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Cardinals have split their two preseason games after falling to the Chiefs 38-10 last week, while the Vikings remain winless after losing to the Titans 24-16 in Week 2.
Arizona Cardinals
As the Chiefs opted to play their starters for much of the first half, it came as no surprise to see the Cardinals down 17-0 early on in Week 2. Arizona brought it within 10 points on a last-second touchdown to close out the first half, as rookie quarterback Clayton Tune displayed some poise and command of the offense while on the field. Tune went 12 of 24 for 133 yards with an average of 5.5 passing yards per attempt.
Which Cardinals will play, expected inactives
Given that no starting quarterback has been named yet for Week 1, it’s likely that we’ll see Colt McCoy and Clayton Tune get ample amount of snaps in the Cardinals’ preseason finale on Saturday. Arizona did recently trade for quarterback Joshua Dobbs, but given the quick turnaround, it’s unlikely that he’ll take the field without a basic grasp of the playbook.
If Dobbs were to play, and possibly contend for the starting job, it would likely be on basic hand-offs for Saturday’s contest.
Minnesota Vikings
Much like Tennessee, the Vikings rested most of their starters in the Week 2 loss. As Minnesota’s defense looks to take a leap following some key departures in the offseason, rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. had a promising performance in what was his second start of the preseason.
The rookie out of Cincinnati had two tackles and a quarterback hit on a blitz as the Vikings look to shore up their roster with depth on the defensive side of the ball.
Which Vikings will play, expected inactives
It remains unlikely that starters such as Kirk Cousins or Justin Jefferson will suit up for a majority of playing time on Saturday, but the performance of the running backs should be intriguing to watch. Ty Chandler (11 carries, 24 yards) led the team in rushing last week, and he as well as DeWayne McBride could see a handful of touches as Minnesota looks to add depth behind Alexander Mattison.