The Minnesota Vikings (7-6) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) on Saturday, December 16th. This game will be played at Paycor Stadium in Paycor Stadium and televised on NFLN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Kickoff is set for 1:00 ET.

Vikings vs Bengals

The Vikings Are Coming Off A Win

The Vikings traveled to take on the Raiders in week 14 and won by a score of 3-0. The Vikings’ 3-point win was not enough to cover the spread, as they were 3-point favorites. Each side finished with an ATS push.

Offensively, Nick Mullens finished with 83 passing yards while completing 69% of his passes. On the ground, the Vikings rushed the ball 30 times for 132 yards. The team converted 8 of 20 third-down opportunites.

Coming off their recent game, the Vikings defense surrendered just eight first downs to the Raiders. When it came to defending the run, Minnesota allowed 56 yards, and against the pass, they yielded 146 yards.

In their game against the Bengals, the Vikings will aim to improve their 7-6 record. This positions them 2nd in the NFC-North and 6th in the NFC.

As the underdog, Minnesota has gone 4-2-1 this season compared to their ATS record of 3-2-1 as the favorite. At home, the Vikings are 2-4 ATS and 5-0-2 vs. the spread on the road. So far this season, the Vikings hold an over/under record of 3-10. The average over/under betting line in their games has been 44.7 points, and their games have averaged a combined 39.1 points.

Vikings Injury Report

• Dean Lowry – Pectoral (Out)
• Jordan Hicks – Lower Leg (Questionable)
• Kirk Cousins – Achilles (Out)
• Marcus Davenport – Ankle (Out)
• Brian O’Neill – Ankle (Questionable)
• James Lynch – Knee (Out)
• Justin Jefferson – Chest (Questionable)
• Cam Akers – Achilles (Out)
• Olisaemeka Udoh – Quad (Out)
• Alexander Mattison – Ankle (Questionable)
• Ed Ingram – Hip (Questionable)
• Jalen Nailor – Concussion (Questionable)
• Malik Knowles – Undisclosed (Out)

The Bengals Are Coming Off A Win

The Bengals came out on top in their last contest against the Colts, winning with a final score of 34-14. The Bengals were able to cover the spread vs. Indianapolis, as they went into the game favored by 3.

Jake Browning finished with 275 passing yards on 24 attempts vs. the Colts. His overall passer rating was 122 and he not only threw for two touchdowns but ran for 1.

Defensively, the Bengals allowed 272 total yards of offense against Indianapolis. Of these yards, 46 were surrendered on the ground, while the team’s secondary conceded 226 yards on 39 pass attempts.

Through 13 games, the Bengals are 7-6. In the AFC-North standings, they are in 4th place which puts them 10th in the AFC.

The Bengals’ have a scoring margin of -0.5 this season, which has led to an ATS record of 6-7. This season, games featuring the Bengals have averaged 43.6 points, placing them at 13th in the NFL. They currently hold an over/under record of 7-6, with an average OU line of 44.5 points.

Bengals Injury Report

• Joe Burrow – Wrist (Out)
• Devonnsha Maxwell – Knee (Out)
• Devin Cochran – Knee (Out)
• Jaxson Kirkland – Wrist (Out)
• Cam Taylor-Britt – Quad (Out)
• Tycen Anderson – Knee (Out)

Vikings Offense Breakdown

On the offensive front, the Vikings are currently averaging 20.5 points per game, positioning them 18th in the NFL.

This season, Minnesota’s passing offense ranks 3rd in passing attempts. With an average of 246.3 passing yards per game, they hold the 8th spot in the NFL.

The Vikings are currently averaging 3.9 yards per rushing attempt while carrying the ball an average of 24.2 times per game. In terms of rushing yardage, they hold the 27th position in the league.

Bengals Offense Breakdown

So far this season, the Cincinnati offense has been averaging 21.5 points per game, ranking them 16th in the league.

So far this season, Cincinnati’s passing game is 8th in passing attempts. Their average of 229.5 passing yards per game places them 16th in the NFL rankings.

So far, the Bengals have run the ball an average of 21.8 times per game and currently hold the 31st spot in rushing yards. On a per-attempt basis, they average 3.8 yards which is 24th.

Vikings Team Defense

In terms of turnovers, the Minnesota defense has 19 takeaways, which is 6th in the NFL. Overall, they are giving up 18.6 points per game and 311.2 yards.

Bengals Team Defense

Defensively, Cincinnati is 17th in points allowed. So far, opponents are averaging 22.1 points per game against them on 379.2 yards allowed per contest.

Vikings vs Bengals Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Minnesota has an ATS record of 4-0-1 while averaging 19 per game. The team went 4-1 overall in these games.
• In their last five home games, Cincinnati has averaged 24 points per game while allowing 25. The team’s record in this stretch was 3-2 while going 3-2 vs. the spread.
• Through their last five games as the underdog, the Vikings have an ATS record of 4-1 and a straight up mark of 3-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Bengals have an ATS record of 2-1 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 2-1.

Vikings vs Bengals Prediction

After a strong performance against Las Vegas’ passing game, Minnesota’s pass defense should play well once again. Despite being 3.5-point underdogs at away, I like them to cover against Cincinnati.

Not only does our model have a projected total of 47 points in this matchup, but the eye test has me feeling this line of 39 is low. I like the Vikings and Bengals to exceed 39 points.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.