Opinions Divided for Vikings vs. Bengals in Week 3

4 of 5 experts pick the Vikings, NFL.com

Analysis from NFL.com’s Tom Blair:

Evaluating an NFL game when the QB1s aren’t in line to play is like trying to pick winners in a street race between two sensible minivans. And as someone who has logged many miles in sensible minivans, I find this kind of comforting. We’re not worrying about high performance and thrilling speeds anymore; now we want to know who can corner safely and brake with prudence while getting solid mileage. Jake Browning and [Bengals Head Coach] Zac Taylor have made sweet music solid easy-listening jams before, occasionally even hitting some high notes, as they did against this very team in December 2023, when they survived a surprisingly exciting battle with – yep, you know it – a journeyman QB propped up by Kevin O’Connell’s coaching. 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, Sr., 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 defense makes Wentz look even better, but I have slightly more trust right now in the Browning-Taylor combo.