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.