Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/16/2023

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 16, 2023

Venue:  Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

Where to Watch:  NFL Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Vikings +3, Bengals -3; Over/Under:  40.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Vikings +3, Bengals -3; Over/Under:  40.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Vikings +3, Bengals -3; Over/Under:  40.5 points

Minnesota Vikings:  7-6 (2nd place, NFC North)

Cincinnati Bengals:  7-6 (4th place, AFC North)

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Minnesota Vikings:  won their last game on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders 3-0.

Cincinnati Bengals:  won their last game at home against the Indianapolis Colts 34-14.

The Vikings are entering this game with a 7-6 record overall and they have a 2-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 2-4 in their home games, 5-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Las Vegas Raiders 3-0. Joshua Dobbs was the starting QB and he completed 10/23 passes for 63 passing yards before getting replaced by Nick Mullens who completed 9/13 passes for 83 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Alexander Mattison led the team in rushing yards with 66. T.J. Hockenson led the receivers with 53 receiving yards on 5 receptions. Ivan Pace Jr. led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles while Ivan Pace Jr., D.J. Wonnum, Harrison Phillips, and Troy Dye each led the defense in sacks with 1. Ivan Pace Jr. came away with the only interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

The Bengals are entering this game with a 7-6 record overall and they have a 0-4 record in their divisional games too. They are 4-3 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Indianapolis Colts 34-14. Jake Browning was the starting QB and he completed 18/24 passes for 275 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Joe Mixon led the team in rushing yards with 79 and 1 TD. Chase Brown led the receivers with 80 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson each led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles while Trey Hendrickson led the defense in sacks with 2. B.J. Hill came away with the only interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have the Bengals listed as a 3 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bengals have been a very up and down team this season with the injuries to Joe Burrow but right now they are 7-6 overall and still in the Wild Card hunt. They have looked really good in their last 2 games with Browning at QB as they have won both games and will be looking to keep their playoff hopes alive with another home win here. Meanwhile, the Vikings are also 7-6 overall and right in the Wild Card race for the NFC but they haven't looked as good in their games lately. The Vikings have looked a lot better in their road games too this season with their 5-2 road record but they just barely beat the Raiders in their last game with a 3-0 win. They have to play another road game now and even though they won in Las Vegas last week, their offense looked terrible as Dobbs had a really bad game again and they now have a lot of questions at QB with Mullens being the one to lead that game winning field goal drive. The Bengals have a backup QB starting too but he is in a much better situation here being at home and has looked a lot better in his 2 starts as the Bengals are getting hot now. The best way to place a bet here is on the Bengals to cover the spread in this game. 

Vikings Bengals Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Saturday, December 16, 2023 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Bengals 21 Vikings 13.

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Minnesota Vikings: 15-22 ATS after allowing 9 points or less last game. 20-32 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of +3 or better. 8-3 OVER as a road underdog of 7 points or less. 59-34 OVER in a road game where the total is between 35.5 and 42 points. 7-1 OVER after a win by 3 or less points.

Cincinnati Bengals: 34-19 ATS in all games. 24-8 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 23-11 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins. 5-1 OVER off a home win by 10 points or more. 9-5 OVER after scoring 30 points or more last game.

Minnesota Vikings:  A. Mattison (RB) Ques Sat - Ankle. E. Ingram (G) Ques Sat - Hip. J. Hall (QB) Ques Sat - Concussion. J. Jefferson (WR) Ques Sat - Chest. M. Davenport (LB) Late Dec - Ankle. D. Lowry (DL) I-R - Pectoral. J. Hicks (LB) Out indefinitely - Leg. C. Akers (RB) I-R - Achilles. K. Cousins (QB) I-R - Achilles. O. Udoh (G) I-R - Quadricep. J. Lynch (DL) I-R - Knee.

Cincinnati Bengals:  J. Chase (WR) Ques Sat - Ankle. D. Smith (OT) Ques Sat - Knee. J. Tufele (DT) Ques Sat - Illness. C. Taylor-Britt (CB) Out indefinitely - Ankle. J. Burrow (QB) I-R - Wrist. T. Anderson (S) Out indefinitely - Knee. D. Cochran (OT) I-R - Knee. D. Maxwell (DT) I-R - Knee.

“I felt like my trust in Nick with his preparation he could be called upon. We made sure he got some reps last week so he was ready to go, and he did exactly that. Went out and made some critical, critical plays to move the chains and ultimately get us in range for the very limited amount of points we got today.” - Kevin O’Connell after his team’s win against the Raiders in their last game. 

“He's playing his butt off. He's playing like a true No. 1 quarterback, and that's all you can ask for.” - Tee Higgins on Jake Browning after their win against the Colts in their last game. 

WR Jefferson, Justin 

WR Addison, Jordan

WR Osborn, K.J.

TE Hockenson, T.J. 

QB Mullens, Nick 

RB Mattison, Alexander 

FB Ham, C.J.

WR Chase, Ja'Marr 

WR Higgins, Tee 

WR Boyd, Tyler 

TE Sample, Drew 

QB Browning, Jake 

RB Mixon, Joe 

Passing: J. Dobbs (2464)

Rushing: A. Mattison (660)

Receiving: T. Hockenson (839)

Touchdowns: J. Addison (7)

Passing: J. Burrow (2309)

Rushing: J. Mixon (768)

Receiving: J. Chase (1092)

Touchdowns: J. Chase (8)

Coaches:

Minnesota Vikings: Kevin O'Connell (2nd season)

Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor (5th season)