Vikings-Bengals Week 3 score predictions from the Vikings On SI staff

After injuries in Week 2, Sunday's game between the Vikings and Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium will be a clash of backup quarterbacks. Both Carson Wentz and Jake Browning have elite wide receivers to throw to, but they'll also have elite pass rushers coming after them around the edge. Even if it's not as exciting, on paper, as a Joe Burrow-J.J. McCarthy matchup, there's still a lot to be intrigued by heading into this Week 3 game.

The stakes are also pretty high. The 1-1 Vikings really need to find a way to go at least 2-1 in their next three games, considering how brutal their schedule is after their bye week. The 2-0 Bengals are hoping to stay in the playoff mix long enough for a potential Burrow return late in the season.

This should be a fun one. The Vikings are three-point favorites, which means Vegas views these teams as evenly-matched and is giving the slight nod to the team playing at home. What do we think will happen? Here are our staff's score predictions.

Will Ragatz: Bengals 20, Vikings 17

I understand why the Vikings are favored; they absolutely have the talent and coaching staff to win this game. But I'm going to take a wait-and-see approach with Carson Wentz. He hasn't started a game with meaningful stakes in close to three years, and he's been in Minnesota for less than a month. There's a lot of uncertainty there. It would also be helpful to know if Christian Darrisaw and/or Ryan Kelly are going to play on Sunday.

Jake Browning is better than most backup QBs and has the NFL's best wide receiver duo at his disposal. Hopefully this isn't the case, but the Vikings' injuries early this season are conjuring memories of their 7-win campaign in 2023, when they lost a bunch of one-score contests. I'm going to lean on the cautious side of this one.

Joe Nelson: Vikings 30, Bengals 16

True: Jake Browning is a solid backup quarterback. More true: Carson Wentz is an elite backup quarterback. False: The Bengals have a good defense. True: The Vikings have a great defense. Through two weeks, the Bengals and Vikings are living in the Upside Down, but the poles are going to flip and bring the football world back to balance as the Vikings expose Cincinnati's defense and generate a collective sigh of relief for worried fans.

Tony Liebert: Bengals 24, Vikings 20

Jake Browning vs. Carson Wentz was not the QB matchup everyone was expecting between the Bengals and Vikings in Week 3, but it remains an incredibly important game for both teams. Browning had 324 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota in 2023, and I think he's simply the better signal caller in this matchup. The biggest thing helping the Vikings in this matchup is the fact that this game is at home. I think we see some improvements from Minnesota's offense, but Wentz makes one or two more mistakes than Browning and Cincinnati steals one on the road.

Jonathan Harrison: Vikings 14, Bengals 10

Is Carson Wentz going to be the latest QB to experience the Kevin O'Connell glow-up? Wentz spoke confidently this week about the opportunity, and KOC has said all the right things to make one think Wentz can handle everything he asks of his quarterbacks. If Christian Darrisaw makes his 2025 debut, that will go a long way towards helping Wentz out on Sunday.

On the opposite side of the ball, the Vikings' pass rushers could be set for a big day against a Bengals team that has the 9th-worst PFF pass-blocking grade. Jake Browning will need to summon some of that 2023 magic to get a result at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings head off on their European work trip with a narrow, low-scoring win in the bag.

Here are last week's predictions (which mostly didn't age too well). Season records for our pickers:

Tony: 2-0
Joe: 1-1
Will: 1-1
Jonathan: 1-1

Will Ragatz: Bengals 20, Vikings 17

Joe Nelson: Vikings 30, Bengals 16

Tony Liebert: Bengals 24, Vikings 20

Jonathan Harrison: Vikings 14, Bengals 10

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