The Vikings and Bengals are set to start Week 15 with a tripleheader on Saturday.
The 2023 NFL season has been a thrilling ride, with 16 teams deploying 23 different quarterbacks who started at least one game. This week, the numbers increase to 17 and 25, respectively, with the Vikings starting Nick Mullens and the Los Angeles Chargers starting Easton Stick after Justin Herbert suffered a season-ending fractured finger. The playoff race is similar to bumper cars, with 30 teams still mathematically jostling for postseason position. This year marks the most teams in the playoff race since the field was expanded to 14 teams in 2020. The AFC currently has 11 teams with a winning record, including six with a 7-6 record. On the NFC side, five teams have a winning record, with the Vikings being the only team with a 7-6 mark.
Minnesota will face the Cincinnati Bengals in a short week, with both teams having a 14-year history of meeting. The Vikings have a home-field advantage, having won 6-0 when hosting the Bengals, compared to 1-7 on the road. The Bengals won their most recent meeting, 27-24 in overtime, to open the 2021 season. Minnesota’s only road victory was in 1992.
Minnesota is introducing quarterback Nick Mullens to the team, replacing Kevin O’Connell. Justin Jefferson will be back on the field, but the Bengals’ record of 34 points in back-to-back wins is not promising. The Bengals’ defense, which has allowed just 15 points per game since Week 6, is stingy, and Minnesota’s offense may struggle to score enough to exceed that low bar. The experts are picking the Bengals 22, Vikings 20, as the winner.
The Bengals have won two consecutive games to reclaim their playoff position, amidst a 3-0 win over the Raiders. Nick Mullens will be the starter this week, having come off the bench last week for Joshua Dobbs. Browning is expected to play well and lead the Bengals to a third consecutive victory. The Minnesota Vikings benched quarterback Joshua Dobbs for Nick Mullens in the fourth quarter of a 0-0 stalemate with the Las Vegas Raiders. Mullens led the offense into field-goal range, and Greg Joseph sealed the deal with a game-winning kick. Mullens will be named the starter for Saturday’s game, with head coach Kevin O’Connell hoping for star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to return from a chest injury.
The Bengals have a quarterback revelation without Joe Burrow, thanks to Jake Browning’s playing style. The Bengals defense is playing more inspired, and the Vikings don’t have enough to slow down Browning’s skill players. Browning has an 82% completion percentage in his last two starts, and the Bengals have enough talent to make a run to the AFC playoffs. Minnesota ranks in the top five in rush defense, but the tandem of Joe Mixon and Chase Brown will be enough against a Vikings team that is shuffling quarterbacks. Various experts have a “straight-up consensus” favoring the Bengals.
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