Daily Norseman
After both teams saw their quarterback situations change significantly, the Minnesota Vikings are still favored to bounce back from their rough Week 2 loss when they host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.
According to the folks from the FanDuel Sportsbook, the line for the Week 3 matchup prior to the Week 2 games being played saw the Vikings favored by 1.5 points. Following the announcement that Bengals’ star quarterback Joe Burrow would be out after suffering a foot injury, the line ballooned to the purple being favored by 5.5 points. Then, after it was announced that J.J. McCarthy had suffered a high ankle sprain that would sideline him for 2-4 weeks, the line has settled back down to the Vikings being a 2.5-point favorite.
Got all that?
With both of the starting quarterbacks for this one now on the shelf, it will be a battle of the backups between Jake Browning for the Bengals and Carson Wentz for the Vikings. Wentz has only been a Viking for about three weeks, but he’ll still get the opportunity to run the offense in McCarthy’s absence with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer backing him up. Browning, the former Vikings’ practice squad member, started for an injured Burrow when these two teams met in 2023 and led the Bengals to an overtime victory in Cincinnati.
The Vikings will also be hoping for a return for a couple of their other key pieces, such as offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, and safety Harrison Smith. Darrisaw is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last season, while Van Ginkel missed the loss against Atlanta while in concussion protocol and Smith is still dealing with an undisclosed personal health issue that he’s been battling since the middle stages of training camp.
After their performance in Week 3, do you think the Vikings should be favored in this one, folks? Let us know what you think!
