SKOL from the Sofa
2025 Week 3 – Bengals at Vikings
No J. J. McCarthy, but a hometown hero in Carson Wentz starting in his place, plus welcome returns to the lineup for Christian Darrisaw, Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel – all of those contributed to a strong comeback win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Andy Thorp is back with another Skol from the Sofa, reflecting on a dominant, record-laden performance.
What a difference a week makes! Last week, we talked about what the Vikings needed to do to beat the Bengals: protect the QB, establish the run, finish drives, limit explosive plays, and for the love of all things purple, stop beating ourselves. On Sunday, they ticked every single box – and then some – on the way to a 48–10 victory over Cincinnati.
The good (and there was a lot of it)
Defense, defense, defense. Isaiah Rodgers had the game of his life – an 87-yard pick-six, a 66-yard fumble return touchdown, plus two forced fumbles. When your DB out-scores the opposing offense by himself, you know it’s a good day.
Turnovers turned into points. Five takeaways, 31 points off them. That’s how you bury an opponent and never let them back up.
Jordan Mason’s breakout. 116 yards, two touchdowns. The run game was consistent and physical – exactly what we said we needed to keep this offense balanced.
Carson Wentz taking care of the football. 173 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. Smart, safe, efficient.
Special teams magic. Will Reichard drilled a franchise-record 62-yard field goal to end the half. Vikings fans everywhere probably spilled their drink on that one.
How it matched the gameplan
After the Falcons loss last week, I mentioned a few things we needed to do going into the Bengals game:
- Protect the QB
✅ Wentz stayed clean, and the line held up. - Establish the run early
✅ Mason delivered, and it opened up the passing game. - Limit big plays
✅ Bengals never got going. Explosives were non-existent. - Finish drives
✅ Touchdowns instead of field goals – especially off turnovers. - Play clean football
✅ Despite discipline not being perfect there were no killer penalties, no turnovers, no “here we go again” moments.
We saw the blueprint we have been begging for since Week 1 – and the difference was night and day.
The big picture
Yes, it’s “just” one win, but this one felt like a statement. The Falcons loss stung because we looked sloppy and beat ourselves. This time, we looked like a team with purpose: aggressive, disciplined, physical.
There’s still stuff to watch – O-line depth has to hold up over a long season, and special teams will keep getting tested – but if the Vikings can keep this formula going, they can beat anyone left on their schedule.
Final word
This was the kind of game that makes you remember why we love this team, even after they’ve given us headaches the week before. If this is the version of the Vikings we’re going to get going forward, the NFC will need to take note!
Onto the UK & Ireland double-header!
Do you want to have your say about an upcoming Vikings game? Is something really grinding your gears? You can have your say right here in Skol from the Sofa. Just drop us an email at UKVikingsFanClub@gmail.com or send us a DM on any of our social media channels.