The Minnesota Vikings improved to 2-1 after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 48-10. They bounced back after an ugly loss to the Falcons in Week 2 by firing on all cylinders in every phase of the game.
Isaiah Rodgers had one of the best defensive performances we’ll see from any defender in the league this year. He took an interception back 87 yards for a touchdown and returned one of the two fumbles he recovered 67 yards for a score.
The offense, led by Carson Wentz, was efficient in both the air and on the ground. It was the kind of win that hopefully signals the Vikings are back on track after seven poor quarters in the season’s first two weeks.
Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from the beatdown.
The Good: The defense was dominant
The defense as a whole was phenomenal, intercepting Bengals quarterback Jake Browning twice and recovering three fumbles. Minnesota hadn’t intercepted a pass in the first two weeks of the season after being tied for the league-lead in 2024. But Rodgers took the first one for a touchdown, making it feel like things were back to normal. He became the first player in PFF history to earn a 99.9 grade.
Not only were the Vikings opportunistic on defense. They only allowed 171 total yards, including 3.3 yards per play. The early 7-0 lead helped, but the defense also created its own fortune with the two defensive scores. They also registered four sacks.
The Bad: Penalties
As good as the Vikings played for the most part, penalties were an issue all day. They committed 13 penalties for 105 yards, far exceeding the four penalties for 45 yards the Bengals had. Many of these came pre-snap on offense, creating unnecessary 3rd-and-long opportunities. The early lead helped minimize the impact, but the Vikings have to be more disciplined moving forward.
The Ugly: The Fourth Quarter
Let’s not pile on in a day where everything was clicking for the Vikings. The fourth quarter was ugly, as the Vikings pulled most of their starters. Cincinnati scored its lone touchdown of the game in the final period, and the Vikings didn’t score any of their 48 points in the quarter.
However, the ugly game gave fans an opportunity to pay a lot of attention to the end of the Packers’ game against the Browns. Cleveland blocked a potential game-winning field goal, helping set them up for their own 55-yard field goal to beat the Packers 13-10, dropping Green Bay to a 2-1 record.
