Bengals vs. Vikings NFL picks roundup Week 3

The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0. That’s the good news. Of course, we know the bad news. Quarterback Joe Burrow is officially out for at least three months after electing for surgery on his toe injury. How will that affect the Bengals going forward? We’ll get our first look Sunday when the Bengals visit the Minnesota Vikings. How do the experts believe the Bengals will fare in Week 3? Let’s take a look.

ESPN

Of the 11 experts at ESPN, only three Dan Graziano, Kalyn Kahler and Seth Wickersham, are going with the Bengals.

NBC

In the battle between Mike Florio and Chris Simms, both are taking the Bengals in a very tight game. Their combined margins are three points.

Jake Browning has seven career starts; Carson Wentz has 94. And Browning, not Wentz, will be facing Brian Flores.

Florio’s pick: Vikings 23, Bengals 21.

Simms’s pick: Vikings 20, Bengals 19.

CBS

CBS’ Jordan Dajani and Steven Taranto are split on this one. Taranto is taking the Bengals, while Dajani says the Vikings will hold serve at home.

Dajani (Vikings -3): The battle of backups, Jake Browning vs. Carson Wentz. Who ya got? Logic tells you Browning should be the better quarterback in this matchup given what he accomplished last week vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and in relief of Joe Burrow in 2023, but the Vikings have a better defense, and I actually think Wentz can find success in a Kevin O’Connell scheme throwing to Justin Jefferson. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but could there be a quarterback controversy in Minny?! Vikings 21, Bengals 17

Taranto (Bengals +3): The “battle of backups” storyline buries the lede in that this is yet another chance for Bengals quarterback Jake Browning to take his revenge against the Vikings. Once upon a time, Browning joined the Vikings as a UDFA in 2019, spending two years on the practice squad before failing to make the 53-man roster at the end of training camp in 2021. Browning has since become an excellent backup on the Bengals, and the hard feelings he has against Minnesota came out when he led Cincinnati to a 27-24 overtime win against his former team late in the 2023 season. Think shouting “Shoulda never f—ing cut me” was enough to sate Browning’s purple rage? Think again. Bengals 24, Vikings 10

USA Today

Chris Bumbaca is the only one out of six experts at USA Today who believes in the Bengals this week, going with a 23-18 score.

Sports Illustrated

The six experts at MMQB are split on this game. The three picking the Bengals are Mitch Goldich, Conor Orr and John Pluym.

Sporting News

Another close prediction, but Bill Bender of Sporting News is going with a 24-21 win for the Ravens.

The Bengals lost Joe Burrow (toe) for three months, but Jake Browning is a capable backup who led Cincinnati to a 27-24 victory against Minnesota in 2023. Rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy (ankle) is out too, meaning Carson Wentz gets the start. LSU teammates Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson will make plays, but it will come down to who wins the turnover battle.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals vs. Vikings NFL picks roundup Week 3

Bengals vs. Vikings NFL picks roundup Week 3

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