Our Final Prediction for Bengals at Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have never lost in the state of Minnesota to the Cincinnati Bengals, putting the streak on the line this week against Jake Browning and friends.
Each week, VikingsTerritory writers fire off score and winner predictions for the Vikings, and this week features the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati’s usual starter, Joe Burrow, is on the shelf for approximately three months with a bad toe. Minnesota won’t have J.J. McCarthy, who’s nursing a high ankle sprain back to health. McCarthy is week-to-week.
Per the usual routine, we asked our writers to forecast a winner and score for the upcoming Vikings game, and here’s what they said about Week 3.
Bengals at Vikings | VikingsTerritory Formal Prediction
Our writers have weighed in.
Score Predictions from Our Writers
Dustin Baker: MIN Wins, 31-14
Sean Borman: CIN Wins, 24-23
Janik Eckardt: MIN Wins, 19-16
Josh Frey: CIN Wins, 28-24
Henrique Gucciardi: MIN Wins, 24-16
Wesley Johnson: MIN Wins, 27-23
Kyle Joudry: MIN Wins, 24-22
Adam New: MIN Wins, 19-12
Tony Schultz: MIN Wins, 20-18
Ted Schwerzler: MIN Wins, 27-21
Ali Siddiqui: MIN Wins, 23-17
Cole Smith: MIN Wins, 23-21
In Week 2, Josh Frey was the closest to predicting a score outcome, though it was comical because he picked Minnesota to win by just three — and it lost by 16. That was the closest anyone came to accuracy.
Smith picked running back Jordan Mason for a big outing: “Jordan Mason will rush for 100-plus yards. The Vikings rushed for 120 yards in Week 1 after the running lanes began to open up in the fourth quarter. They weren’t able to quite replicate that performance in Week 2 against the Falcons, only running for 78 yards.”
“But with McCarthy out, and Wentz having only been with the team for less than a month, the Vikings may be forced to rely on the running game. With Aaron Jones on IR with a hamstring injury, Jordan Mason becomes the bell cow.”
He did the same for Justin Jefferson: “Justin Jefferson will have over 100 yards and a touchdown. But just because the Vikings will rely on the running game doesn’t mean that they can’t go to the air. The Bengals are allowing the fifth-most passing yards in the league through two games, meaning that Justin Jefferson will have a chance to have his most productive game of 2025.”
“Jefferson has caught seven of his 13 targets this season for 125 yards and a touchdown. That’s not an abysmal stat line, but for a player who averages 96.5 receiving yards throughout his career, it doesn’t meet Jefferson’s standard. Look for Wentz to look for Jefferson when he does go to the air. If he does, Jefferson has a chance to get his first touchdown at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2025.”
Season Standings
Through two weeks, nobody is perfect. The brackets are already busted.
Henrique Gucciardi: 1-1
Wes Johnson: 1-1
Ted Schwerzler: 1-1
Cole Smith: 1-1
Janik Eckardt: 1-1
Kyle Joudry: 1-1
Adam New: 1-1
Ali Siddiqui: 1-1
Josh Frey: 1-1
Sean Borman: 1-1
Dustin Baker: 0-2
Consensus Score Pick for MIN-CIN
Altogether, our staff has chosen Minnesota to win by a score of 24-19.
If Minnesota doesn’t win this week, they will almost have to sweep the impending European road trip, as the schedule takes a sharp turn for brutal opponents after the Week 6 bye — Eagles, Chargers, Ravens, Lions.
From NFL Media
Sporting News‘ Vinnie Iyer rolled with Cincinnati and noted, “Jake Browning was dumped by the Minnesota Vikings at the end of the 2021 preseason. The Bengals picked him up and found a reliable, much-needed backup quarterback to Joe Burrow.”
“Browning should be motivated to attack the Vikings’ turnover-oriented defense who can’t handle all of his key weapons. Carson Wentz, who is replacing the injured J.J. McCarthy, will have trouble answering enough in a shootout. Pick: Bengals win 34-31.”
NFL.com‘s Tom Blair also picked the Bengals: “On Sunday, the role that Nick Mullens occupied two years ago will be played by Carson Wentz — and, crucially, that is not the only difference for the Vikings, who’ve had to contend with the absences of several key figures on both sides of the ball and will at least be without Aaron Jones and suspended WR Jordan Addison.
“Browning, meanwhile, still gets to work with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. While Brian Flores’ defense must always be feared, Minnesota hasn’t had to face a receiving corps like Cincinnati’s yet this year and did just yield plenty of yardage to dynamic back Bijan Robinson. I won’t be surprised if O’Connell makes Wentz look pretty good and the Bengals’ D makes Wentz look even better, but I have slightly more trust right now in the Browning-Taylor combo.”
Minnesota is the NFL’s second-best Week 3 team since 1970, with a 33-19 (.635) record.
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