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The Minnesota Vikings face off against the Cincinnati Bengals during Week 1 in a big season for both teams. The Vikings are trying to get back to the playoffs under head coach Mike Zimmer while the Bengals hope to see improvement from franchise quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Vikings have dropped off defensively since Zimmer’s early days, but feature a prolific offense centered around running back Dalvin Cook. Kirk Cousins does have some great receivers at his disposal in Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, but Cook is the focus for the Bengals. On the flip side, Burrow will try to link up with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd against Minnesota’s inexperienced corners.
TV Info
Date: Sunday, September 12th
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
Broadcast map
The Vikings are -3 favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, but that’s likely due to experience and injury concerns surrounding Burrow and RB Joe Mixon. The Bengals should be competitive if both players are fully healthy after missing time last season with significant injuries. Cincinnati’s defense will have to contain Cook, but Cousins has improved on play-action throws enough to make the Bengals pay. Ultimately it’ll be up to Minnesota’s defense to show it has returned to a level to make the team a contender.