We are just about thirty minutes away from kicking things off at U.S. Bank Stadium between the Cincinnati Bengals and our Minnesota Vikings. Let’s make sure you have everything you need to be up to speed on today’s contest.
Date and Time: Sunday, 21 September 2025, noon Central time
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Television Coverage: WCCO-4 in the Twin Cities, CBS affiliates around the country, YouTube NFL Sunday Ticket
Radio Coverage: Vikings Radio Network affiliates, SiriusXM Channel
229
Line: Vikings -3, over/under 42.5
Chris’ Prediction: Vikings 24, Bengals 21
Three Keys
1) Start fast, please – In the first quarter of both of their games so far this season, the Vikings’ offense has been a complete disaster. This is a team that’s really built to play from out front, so Kevin O’Connell and company need to do something to get some points on the board early. With the Vikings turning to Carson Wentz in this one in place of the injured J.J. McCarthy, they’re going to have to do something to get him comfortable. The offensive line not looking like a sieve would be a huge help on that front.
2) Slow down the run – The Vikings were gashed in a big way by the Falcons on the ground last week. We know that the Bengals can sling it all over the yard, even with Jake Browning at quarterback in place of Joe Burrow, but they’re going to be that much more effective if they can get Chase Brown going in the run game, too. If the Vikings can keep the Bengals “behind the chains” in this one, it would go a long way towards their success.
3) Be smart on special teams – The Vikings’ special teams have been a mixed bag this year. Will Reichard has been outstanding kicking the ball and Myles Price has been very good as a punt returner. Last week against the Falcons, however, Price took several kicks out of the end zone and came up well short of the 35-yard line, a bad idea for an offense that’s struggling. The Vikings need to be smarter on special teams, plain and simple. Hopefully that’s been a theme in this week’s preparation.
Know the Foe: Cincy Jungle
Twitter: @DailyNorseman
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/thedailynorseman
There you have it, folks! We’ll be starting a brand new Open Thread at the beginning of each quarter, so keep your eyes open for those and keep the discussion moving along accordingly.
Here’s hoping that in about three hours or so we’ll be talking about the Carson Wentz resurgence and how great it is to have a little momentum before the team’s European Vacation over the next two weeks.
SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!
