Who do the Cardinals need to stop the most in Minnesota: Dalvin Cook or Justin Jefferson?

It’s a pick-your-poison scenario for the Cardinals when they meet the Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Arizona’s defense can focus all of its attention on trying to contain shifty running back Dalvin Cook or they could choose to assign extra defenders on star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Whatever they decide, the Cardinals must limit one of them or they probably have no chance to even their record at 4-4.

“Yeah, you have to,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “There’s no doubt. If they both get going, you’re in trouble. Dalvin’s one of those guys you can bottle him up for the entire game and then the last one he goes for 70 yards and outruns everybody. He’s been a really good back in this league for a long time.

“With the weapons they have, I think (Vikings coach) Kevin’s (O’Connell) done a great job of maximizing each guy in the system. (Quarterback) Kirk’s (Cousins) playing at a really high level. He’s getting the ball out quick and going to the right place with it.”

Usually, that’s in the direction of Jefferson, who ranks seventh in the league with 46 receptions and third with 464 receiving yards. He’s had four 100-yard games already this season through just six weeks, although he hasn’t scored a touchdown since catching two of them in the season opener against Green Bay.

Nonetheless, Jefferson is a player the Cardinals’ defense must be aware of on every single down. Kingsbury was asked if his defense will have to gameplan around Jefferson considering he is “kind of” an elite weapon like his own elite No. 1 wideout, DeAndre Hopkins.

“Not kind of. He’s all the way elite, that one,” Kingsbury said.

Jefferson has been targeted 10 or more times in four games and it's tricky to find ways to slow him down.

“They move him around," Kingsbury said. "Kind of like Hop, he can be on the outside and beat you with a go route or put him inside and he’ll beat you on an option route. I think the versatility of both those guys is unique. Great route runners, great hands and very competitive. There are some similarities there for sure.”

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Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray spends most of his film study watching opposing defenses, but as a playmaker himself, he can appreciate Jefferson’s skill level and pass-catching talent.

“I got a chance to be around him at the Pro Bowl,” Murray said. “I saw his last year at LSU and what he was doing and then now in the league. He’s one of the best receivers in the game right now and one of the youngest. He’ll continue to be great, continue to do his thing, but yeah, we know the challenge we have as a unit and as a team.”

The first rule of thumb for the Cardinals’ defense, however, has been putting an emphasis on stopping the run and against the Vikings (5-1), that means Cook. Arizona has not yet allowed a 100-yard runner and Cook has yet to crack 100 yards as well, although he’s come very close with three games of 90 or more rushing yards and he’s averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

Cook also has four rushing touchdowns. The Cardinals have rushed for just seven as a team.

“It always is going to start with the run game,” safety Budda Baker said. “They do a real good job of running the ball and Cook is averaging 4.8 yards a run so it’s all going to start with the run game. They can’t do all the passes that they do if they’re not good in the run game.

“They like to run play-action boots, overs, posts and all of those types of things and if you’re showing run and the linebackers aren’t phased in the run, of course, those passes aren’t going to be good for you.”

What makes Jefferson so difficult to defend, Baker said, is how often Cousins throws him the ball (his 63 targets and 20 more than Minnesota’s next closest pass catcher) and how often Jefferson seems to make the catch. The Vikings also like to use him out of the backfield. Baker said it reminds him of the way the Rams use wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

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When the Cardinals met the Rams back in Week 3, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. shadowed Kupp most of the game and held him to four catches for 44 yards. He’s also shut down the Raiders’ Davante Adams (two receptions for 12 yards) and the Seahawks’ DK Metcalf (two for 34) when covering a receiver full-time one-on-one.

That’s exactly what he hopes to do against Jefferson, should he draw the primary assignment.

“It always depends on what the defensive scheme is going on throughout the week, but obviously me, I want to guard the best every single week,” Murphy said. “I want to go out there and compete, go against the best and show everybody what I can do. I want to follow the best receiver.

“I respect everything about the guy. He’s a great receiver. He’s a hell of a baller. Me being on the opposite side, I want to go against a baller. Like I said, I want to go against the best.”

Have an opinion on the Arizona Cardinals? Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com and follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac. Listen to him live on Fox Sports 910-AM every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 on Calling All Sports with Roc and Manuch. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who do the Cardinals need to stop more in Minnesota, Cook or Jefferson?