Cincinnati Bengals @ Minnesota Vikings
U. S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
September 21, 2025 – 6:00 p.m. BST

In their last game before a two-week international stint, the Minnesota Vikings take on the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium this Sunday, hoping to avoid crossing the Atlantic with a losing record for the first time since 2013.

Unfortunately, they’ll have to do it without starting quarterback J. J. McCarthy, who suffered a high ankle sprain in last weekend’s 22–6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. His opposite number, Joe Burrow, was placed on injured reserve by the Bengals after suffering a turf toe injury, meaning this will be the battle of the backups, with Carson Wentz taking on Jake Browning.

Having lost each of their last two meetings with the Bengals, the Vikings will be hoping to turn things around this week, though they’ll be buoyed by the fact that they’ve never lost a home game against the team from Cincinnati. Read on for all the important news ahead of this Sunday, including how you can catch the game surrounded by your fellow UK & Ireland Vikings fans!

How to watch Bengals vs. Vikings

• Bengals vs. Vikings date: Sunday, September 21st
• Bengals vs. Vikings kickoff time: 6:00 p.m. BST
• Bengals vs. Vikings channel: NFL Game Pass on DAZN

This game was not selected by Sky or Channel 5 as one of their live broadcasts this weekend, which means it is available live and in full to stream via NFL Game Pass on DAZN.

You can also join fellow members of the UK & Ireland Minnesota Vikings Fan Club at one of our two watch parties on Sunday evening, in either London or Leeds. Both events are free to attend. Click the links below for more information:

ATTEND: London | Leeds

What uniforms are the Vikings wearing against the Bengals?

As the home team, the Vikings had first choice of uniforms and have elected to wear their primary purple jerseys and white pants for the first time this season. The Bengals will wear their road uniforms of white jerseys and black pants.

Keys to the game

The key for the Vikings on offense in this game will be making sure Carson Wentz has plenty of time in the pocket, and failing that, the opportunity to make high-percentage throws. TE T. J. Hockenson should be Wentz’ primary read on most plays, which should open up opportunities to seek out the likes of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Jalen Nailor. RB Jordan Mason will have a lot of load to bear after Aaron Jones went on injured reserve, with backup from Ty Chandler and Cam Akers.

On defense, the problem through the first two weeks has mostly been completing tackles. In 2024, the Vikings ranked 9th in the league for tackling with a 63.3 on PFF’s grading system; this year they’ve dropped to 31st with a grade of 38.3. Similarly, they’ve dropped from a grade of 75.3 on run defense (4th in the league) to 52.7 (31st) – an area that new DL signings Javon Hargrave (36.6) and Jonathan Allen (37.5) have been particularly bad in according to PFF.

Previous meetings

This will be the 16th meeting between the two teams, all coming in the regular season, with the Bengals holding an 8–7 lead in the series to date. However, the Vikings have won all six previous meetings in Minneapolis, the most recent being a 34–7 victory in 2017. In that game, LB Eric Kendricks recorded the second of his two career pick-sixes and QB Teddy Bridgewater made his first appearance since a catastrophic knee injury during the 2016 offseason.

The teams’ last two meetings, however, have both been in Cincinnati and finished with the exact same score, the Bengals coming out on top 27–24 in overtime in both 2021 and 2023. Similarly to Sunday’s upcoming clash, that last meeting also saw both teams put out backup quarterbacks, as Nick Mullens started for Minnesota and ex-Viking Jake Browning started for Cincinnati. With the Vikings up 17–3 after three, Browning led the Bengals to three touchdowns in the fourth quarter before a 44-yard completion to Tyler Boyd set up Evan McPherson’s game-winning, 29-yard field goal.

Vikings injury report

The most prominent absence for the Vikings this week will be quarterback J. J. McCarthy, who suffered a high ankle sprain during the loss to the Falcons a week ago. Carson Wentz is expected to start in his place, making the Vikings the sixth different franchise he’s started for since being drafted #2 overall in 2016. In addition to Wentz and Max Brosmer, the Vikings signed Desmond Ridder to fill out their QB room for this weekend’s game.

Running back Aaron Jones (hamstring) was also injured during the Falcons game, severely enough that the Vikings placed him on injured reserve. That will rule him out for at least the next four weeks, including the games in Dublin against the Steelers and in London against the Browns. On Wednesday, the Vikings signed RB Cam Akers for the third season in a row, bringing him onto the practice squad. Jordan Mason will likely start at running back, with Ty Chandler providing a change of pace.

Also ruled out for Sunday are C Ryan Kelly and T Justin Skule, who were placed in the concussion protocol after the loss to the Falcons. Although they returned to limited practice on Friday after missing the first two practice sessions of the week, they were not deemed fit to face the Bengals. Returning from concussions after missing the Falcons game are LB Andrew Van Ginkel, who is currently questionable, and CB Jeff Okudah.

T Christian Darrisaw is also questionable for the game despite being a full participant on Wednesday and Friday; he missed practice on Thursday as the Vikings attempt to manage his workload, having not played since suffering a season-ending ACL/MCL injury in week 8 of last season. The other questionable players for Sunday are LB Austin Keys and S Harrison Smith. LB Jonathan Greenard (oblique), G Donovan Jackson (wrist), S Theo Jackson (hip) and TE Josh Oliver (ankle) do not have a designation for Sunday despite appearing on the injury report at various points throughout the week.

Bengals injury report

Like the Vikings, the Bengals will also be missing their starting quarterback on Sunday. Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in last week’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, resulting in the Bengals placing him on injured reserve. In response, they elevated former Vikings QB Brett Rypien from the practice squad to the active roster. He’ll back up another ex-Viking in Jake Browning, the presumptive starter for this weekend.

The only other player ruled out for the Bengals is rookie DE Shemar Stewart, who did not take part in practice all week due to an ankle injury. Also listed with injury designations for Sunday are cornerbacks Cam Taylor-Britt (doubtful) and DJ Turner II (questionable), who both have hamstring injuries. LB Logan Wilson (ankle) returned to full practice on Thursday after being limited earlier in the week and is expected to play, as are DT B. J. Hill, who was rested on Thursday for a non-injury-related reason, and rookie G Dylan Fairchild (shoulder).

Score predictions

• Darren: Bengals 6, Vikings 17
• TPJ: Bengals 13, Vikings 16
• John: Bengals 12, Vikings 21
• BDR: Bengals 14, Vikings 17

Let us know your score predictions. Send us an email at UKVikingsFanClub@gmail.com or get in touch via any of our social media channels.