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The Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals are both above .500 squads with 7-6 records, yet it feels like both teams have been scrapping and clawing all season and are unlikely to make the playoffs. Injuries to both team's starting quarterbacks have made their playoff dreams bleak, and while the teams have fought hard to stay afloat, that is sometimes all you can do in the NFL. One of these two teams will get a win this week and improve their record to a pretty impressive 8-6, while the others already declining playoff hopes will take a hit. The Vikings and Bengals will play each other on Saturday in Week 15, so let's take a look at everything you need to know for this contest.
When and where is this Week 15 Saturday game?
Three NFL games will take place on Saturday, December 16th this week. The first one will be the Vikings and Bengals game, which will be at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
How to watch Vikings vs. Bengals
NFL Network will be broadcasting all of the Saturday games, and they will also be available to live stream with fuboTV. Chris Rose will perform play-by-play, Jason McCourty will add color commentary, and Steve Wyche will be the sideline reporter.
Date: Saturday, Dec. 16 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Paycor Stadium — Cincinnati, Ohio
TV channel: NFL Network | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
Odds: Bengals -3.5 | O/U 39.5
Vikings storylines
Kirk Cousins was having the best season of his career before he went down with a torn Achilles back in Week 8. Jaren Hall was his initial replacement, but he was hurt in his first start replacing Cousins. The Vikings traded for Joshua Dobbs, and his first few weeks with the team were heartwarming, and he orchestrated some miraculous outings during an impressive winning streak. Unfortunately, that was short-lived, and poor play has haunted Dobbs in recent weeks. The team will now turn to their fourth starting quarterback of the season, as Nick Mullens is being handed the reins in Week 15 against the Bengals.
Earlier in the season, Dobbs led the team to a late victory when he was thrown into action mid-game, and Mullens did the same thing in Week 14. He came on in relief for Dobbs and helped the team put up their only points of the game in an ugly 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Mullens went 9-13 for 83 yards in the limited action he saw last week.
Mullens' would-be top target, Justin Jefferson, is questionable to play against the Bengals, but he said on Wednesday that he was going to play in this game. Jefferson missed seven games with a hamstring injury before finally returning last week, only to exit the game early with a chest injury. It doesn't sound like it's going to force him to miss any additional time, though, which is a huge win for Minnesota.
People keep counting out the Vikings. They moved on from a number of veterans in the offseason, which caused some to believe that they wouldn't be competitive this year. Despite this – and a 1-4 start – the team reeled off five straight wins and has a respectable 7-6 record. They also managed to do this without their best player in Jefferson and their starting quarterback in Cousins, and they will continue to have a shot to win games despite being on their fourth quarterback this season. The Vikings' game against the Bengals has huge stakes, as Minnesota is currently the six seed in the NFC playoff picture, so winning could go a long way to helping them find their way into the postseason.
Bengals storylines
The Bengals start to their season didn't go as planned, and in a lot of ways, their first few games mirrored the Vikings. Cincy crawled out to a 1-3 start, thanks in large part to Joe Burrow struggling with a calf injury, which hampered the offense as a whole. This was obviously disappointing, as the Bengals were viewed as a top Super Bowl contender entering the year.
Eventually, though, Burrow healed up, and he and the rest of the team started to look like their normal selves. The Bengals had a long winning streak of their own (four games) before they ended up suffering three straight losses. To make matters worse, the team lost Burrow to a season-ending wrist injury .
Jake Browning is Burrow's replacement, and he has filled in more than admirably. Browning has started the last three games, and he has helped the Bengals win two straight games to remain in the playoff hunt. Browning has led Cincy's offense to a pair of impressive 34 point outings in those two wins, and while they have struggled to stay healthy all season as well, they have the weapons needed to help Browning win games. Ja'Marr Chase is elite, and Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are great compliments to the team's superstar playmaker.
Despite being above .500, the Bengals actually sit at last place in the competitive AFC North. Both of these teams have been resilient and have thrived in the face of adversity all season long, but only one team can come out victorious in Week 15. It is a truly make-or-break game for both squads, as the loser will have a tough time getting back into the playoff hunt. Who do you think will win on Saturday?
