Next up, Minnesota

[Stripes]

Now that our Bengals have properly dispatched the Browns, we can focus on the next challege, the Vikings.

This will be quite a test at home for our boys. The Vikings may have lost at home to Tampa Bay today, but they are still a loaded football team, and are not to be taken lightly.

They have fast receivers, and I don't like that matchup with our corners. I think the key to winning this game will be offensive consistency and getting pressure on Daunte Culpepper. He's very strong in the pocket, and can run, so we can't be missing tackles in the backfield and letting him burn us. I expect to see plenty of David Pollack and plenty of blitzing for this purpose.

The Vikings have an inconsistent running game, a committee besed scheme. I'm not overly concerned by Michael Bennet, Mo Williams, or Mewelde Moore. If Odell can clog the gaps like he did today, then we should be fine.

We'll need a consistent and solid day out of Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry to open up the passing game to keep up with their offense. They'll have Pat Williams locking down the line, so the offensive line will have to keep him in check to ensure a good running game.

If Rudi can give us 4 or 5 yard gains like he did in Cleveland, and Perry can get us out of some early third downs on screens, then this game will be very winnable. The Vikings have a very talented secondary, including Fred Smoot, former Buckeye Antoine Winfield, and Corey Chavous at safety. I expect us to rely heavily on the slot receivers, Houshmandzadeh and Walter. Their potential success would give all Chad the neccessary room to make the big plays he's capable of.

I think we'll win this game, barely, mainly due to homefield advantage. I'll predict the score to be: Bengals 27 Vikings 21

[San Antonio Bengal]

The Vikings aren't going to have two bad games in a row. They're too good of a team for that to happen. That's not to say that they are going to have a spectacular game. I think that Culpepper is still adjusting to life without Randy Moss back there to attract the double teams and bail them out of trouble. Anyway, the biggest concerns of mine are our pass defense and kickoff coverage. The kickoff coverage woes could have easily sunk us today if it hadn't been for the karma on our side. For the most part, I think the game is a draw with the Bengals on top due to the home field. 30 - 27

[NJ29]

I'am worried about the Minnesta game for a few reasons

1. If Tory plays the way he did today, Nate Burleson will have his way with him. They might be forced to play Keiwan more, because he'll be able to run with Burleson. I think the Deltha can take the rook out of the game on the other side though.

2. If the D-Line gets as much pass rush as they did today, we'll have to blitz linebackers, leaving guys like Jermaine Wiggins open in hook zones, and Culpepper will torch us if number one occurs.

3. Darren Sharper will have is eye on Chad the whole game, so I'm more Housh, me thinks.

4. If Rudi gets the ball 25 more times, the O will be fine.

5. Odell will have to be more alert, he won't be able to dominate minnesota the way he did Cleveland.

6. The linebackers need to cover better.

7. Carson can't have any huge mistakes, or Minesota will capitalize on them.

[CBin2k7]

In order to defeat Minnesota we are going to have to do a better job of pressuring the quarterback. We have got to rattle Culpepper and force him into turnovers, just like Tampa did. I think it will be difficult to run the ball against the Vikings, but in order to have balance, the Bengals can't abandon the run game if they don't see early results. The Bengals should also try to get their TE's involved in this game, and the running backs out of the backfield. Hopefully they can take some pressure off of the WR's because the Vikes secondary is loaded and talented, but they do give up yards.

In my wisdom, I suspect Carson Palmer to continue on his road to maturity and have a turnover free game. Bengals victory 28-24

[redsfan2]

Boy .... I hate doing this. This weeks game against the Vikes is one that I looked at as a win when I was looking over the schedule.

Two things. #1 If nothing else, the Bengals have ( since coach Lewis got here ) regularly been coming up big in Big Games at home. Ravens .... Chiefs ... Seahawks .... Denver on Monday nite. #2 For all their hype, the Vikes were 8 and 8 last year ... just like we were. Unlike us however .. they haven't returned their entire offense from last year. Moss for all his problems was a weapon. I think he showed how big of a weapon in a losing effort against the Pats .... and the Vikes figured it out today.

The secondary showed today that if you keep picking on them they will make you pay sooner or later. Combine that with the offense we've got ..... and I think that adds up to a win.

And nobody'll be saying " well it was just the Vikings " either.

[redsfan2]

I'am worried about the Minnesta game for a few reasons

1. If Tory plays the way he did today, Nate Burleson will have his way with him.

I didn't know till after the game that Tory was fighting off the gout. As bad as that hurts, it's a wonder that he was out there at all.

I also wouldn't have picked him to get 1 of the int's either ... but like I said ... I didn't know that.

[schweinhart]

Pep is gonna be p*ssed and licking his chops if the Bengals crutch on cover 2 w/ the CBs playing quarters. The Vikes have enough quality receivers to pick it apart in 15-20yd chunks and a TE in Jermaine Wiggins who'll clean up as an outlet if the WRs are covered. The best move for the Bengals looks to me like rolling w/ man D on receivers as much as possible and bringing Madieu or K2 over to cover James.

Obviously, much more Bengals pass rush will be needed than what was shown today, but even getting that pressure still won't keep Pep from rolling out where he does major damage. The 3-4 seems like it would work better vs. Vikes than a straight 4-man rush sprinkled w/ a blitz here and there.

Vs. the run, the Vikes bring more speed than Clowns -- another reason to deploy more 3-4 and bring more lateral LB flow to disrupt lanes.

Offense wise, Winfield is one of the best cover CBs in the NFL. Smoot is solid, too. Their safeties can be exploited deep but that takes time. And the pass rush will be considerably greater w/ Kevin and Pat Williams and Kenechi Udeze and Lance Johnstone. The best chance for success in pass is vs. LBs, so it should take a big game out of the slot plus Schobel. Chris Perry should have better success vs. 4-3 than 3-4 but he pretty much showed what a liability he is on blitz pickup today vs. Brodney Pool and Andra Davis. Can't have CP getting creamed.

Rudi ran powerfully today. An effective ground game will help control the clock but I can't see the Bengals D stonewalling the Vikes when they got the ball.

I don't like the matchups for this one. Maybe if Pollack and Thurman had more experience. But the Vikes won't fix their problems in time from the loss of Moss and Linnehan. Good thing the Bengals get them early.

Bengals 24 Vikings 23

[Stripes]

So far, it seems the consensus is that to win this game the pass rush needs to improve. I agree completely.

Who exactly during the Cleveland game did you notice struggled in pressuring Trent Dilfer that will have to step it up this week? I can only remember Geathers's name being mentioned once, and Robinson's name only mentioned for maknig a mistake. I think the play of these two new startes is vital in the outcome of this game.

[BengalNation1281]

Yes, our secondary struggled a little bit today.

Yes, our defense had some lapses.

Yes, WE WHOMPED THEIR ASSES 27-13.

For as bad as everyone thinks that they are, Cleveland played a good ballgame, and we were able to weather the storm and wear them down.

Minnesota is miles away from Cleveland in terms of talent and depth, but I thought that that game was a toss-up from the very beginning, and TB exposed every weakness that the Vikings possess.

I picked this game as a loss when I made my pre-season record prediction, but I am reneging on that prediction and picking the Bengals this week.

Bengals 31, Vikings 24

[HoosierCat]

Vikings? :player:

WE WILL MARCH ON A ROAD OF BONES!!!

[walshfan]

Do you think the Vikes might be missing Moss just a little bit???

[Stripes]

Do you think the Vikes might be missing Moss just a little bit??? 

Definitely. The offense will suffer some dropoff without Moss on the field. Once the team has had enough time to gel and get in sync, the Vikings will be very dangerous, maybe even on defense.

Luckily we get them when they're still rusty. :player:

[WhackThePack]

Hi Bengals Fans

The Bengals-VIkings game will be one of the better games of the week. Too bad I'll be stuck watching some other crap where I live.

Anyway it's good to see the Vikings haven't completely lost respect after their performance yesterday, but I honestly think the offense is still getting used to the idea that Moss is not there to draw 2 or 3 DBs. Our o-line played horribly and it showed in the running game. THe Bucs did not allow us to throw any deep balls, and although we were able to move the ball against them several times, you can't expect to win when you commit lots of turnovers. Also, stupid mistakes. Jermaine Wiggins had TWO TDs called back for penalties...obviously it would have been a different game if they had registered. The bright spot for us was defense and special teams, both areas of woe for a long time.

I haven't seen many Bengals games but I did see the one yesterday against the Browns. Your offense will be a far better test for us than the Bucs. Palmer looked very sharp as did the receiving corps. I was real impressed by that Kevin Walter, he's a big tough guy and I am worried about him for this game especially on third downs. Our CBs are pretty fast, and Winfield and FS Sharper are both great tacklers. WHen he's healthy Smoot can hold his own man-to-man, although I don't expect to see much single coverage against Chad Johnson. I expect the Vikings tackles the Williams twins to stop the run up the middle, but if Rudi finds a gap to burst through I don't think our LBs will have much luck stopping him. What we need, of course, is for the d-line which is the real strength of our defense, to win their matchups and get to Carson Palmer, who is only getting better each game. I'm not expecting a lot of sacks, just don't want him to have the time to work his offense.

Your defense vs. our offense: Vikings o-line will struggle again to open up the running game...which will be bad for Bennett who relies on open field for speed. As usual Tice will run all of our guys...usually Moe and Moore can break tackles and get tough yards, but it all depends on blocking. The whole key for us will be for the passing game to be in rythym because when it is, the Vikings are difficult to stop. Nate Burleson is such a good route runner that Daunte has become very comfortable finding him all over the field. Wiggins, despite his size, can move pretty fast and has great hands. And Marcus Robinson and Travis Taylor both have the ability to get deep...given the time. So for the Bengals preventing that is key.

I expect it to be a close one though, and the Vikings do struggle against outdoors teams, so if the Vikes lose I won't be completely devastated. But I will say 27-23 Vikes.

[HairOnFire]

Vikings? :player:

WE WILL MARCH ON A ROAD OF BONES!!!

I'm loving the new Joisey. Very upbeat....and probably drunk.

[John Stofa]

Put me in the camp that thinks the Vikings are a wee bit overrated. Yes they were a playoff team last year, and even won a game in the post-season, but they did that in the weak NFC. They had the same record we did, and like we did they barely outscored their opponents overall (405-395). Again though, they were playing in the weaker conference.

This is another statement game for the Bengals. This is the kind of game we have to win. At home, against a supposedly strong opponent, and with our opponent needing a win more than we do. A win would send a loud message around the league. A message saying the Bengals are poised and ready to move up to the next level. I think we'll have a loud and rowdy crowd and the team will feed off that and play well.

Bengals 27; Vikings 24.

[vettespd20]

I think that we will have a HUGE GAME! I am saying it now, I think that we will come out strange and ready to play our first HOME GAME. I think that we have lots of confidence and we are hungry for this game. I say Bengals 34 Vikings 17

[rizzy]

Yeah the Vikings had a terrible day. I don't see them having a game like that the rest of the year. Hopefully not because Daunte is my fantasy quarterback thanks for the -6 points this week, but I will gladly take those -6 points this week when TKOdell and Tory and Mediau pick him off.

I don't know if the vikings can beat us this week even if they do play good. First opening day road win since 1995, we are not 0-1 we are 1-0. The crowd is going to be crazy this Sunday and the Bengals are going to be pumped up big time.

I can not wait until this Sunday, wow I am pumped. I will be sitting by the bengals tunnel for this game.

IS IT SUNDAY YET!?! WHO DEY!!

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

I don't think the Vikings are really missing Moss THAT much. Yesterday was an abomination. Daunte had a HORRIBLE day. He'll bounce back. Their defense, on the other hand, is much improved.

It should be an exciting game, and in my opinion, it is going to come down to one thing. Those of you who were lucky enough to get tickets MUST be on your feet screaming and making noise and pumping up our guys. Even if we start slow, no sitting down. If it's 14 zip Vikings, stand up and make even more noise.

[schweinhart]

Make some noise up there you bunch of bastids, will ya?

Scream til your lungs puncture and your guts burst. This a huge game, not that they all aren't if the goal is playoffs. Make it so the Vikes can't hear themselves think.

Interesting comments on this post, including the Pack Whacker. Did not see any of Vikes-Bucs game but read of Matt Birk opting for surgery after management wouldn't guarantee his contract for next year.

I know last year when the Bengals lost Richie Braham (doesn't sound like much to outsiders) the whole O-line seemed to turn to pus. Just wondering if Birk is that much of a hit for the Vikes.

[PhunkE1]

The thing I'm most interested to see is how our O-Line holds up against there D-Line. They have 4 1st round picks on that line and Kevin Williams maybe the most well rounded DT in the league today. We totally dominated the point of attack on the offensive side of the ball against Cle., but this will be a real test. If Palmer is given adequete time I feel confident he will make good decisions and get us the W.

On the defensive side of the ball I expect the Vikes to come out trying to establish the run. They couldn't get the running game going against the Bucs and that's what ultimately led to there defeat. Even with Culpepper being one of the best QB's in the league if we force them to be one deminsional we should be able to win the game.

Bengals 30

Vikings 24

[Kazkal]

I woulden't rule out daunte and the vikings after him throwing 3 interceptions agaist bucs and lost 2 fumbles he's going to wanna come back agaist us and put the stamp on our defense

[combatbengal]

I predicted that we would beat the Clowns by 14 and we did. This week I predict another Bengal win but this one will be closer. I predicted we win by a field goal. Our Def has to step up though. We had to many missed tackles and missed int's. Palmer made a few mental errors that he needs to fix. He threw in the middle of the endzone while being hit and jumping in the air. Throw it away Palmer. He fumbled the ball becasue he was scrambling and he wasn't protecting the ball.

Pitt looks tough again! I think it'll be us and Pit playing for that playoff birth!

[BengalsMan3203]

Bengals roll at home.....

31-10 Cincinnati.

:player:

[Kirkendall]

The Vikings aren't going to have two bad games in a row.

I would normally agree, but the Vikings are 8-16 on the road in the past three seasons and Cincinnati being 10-6. We'll be just fine.

[HoosierCat]

early minny injury update...starting mlb, lt dinged...

Vikings McKinnie has foot injury, Cowart has strained calf

Associated Press

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Minnesota middle linebacker Sam Cowart has a strained left calf that could keep him out of this Sunday's game at Cincinnati.

Cowart's status is day-to-day, coach Mike Tice said Monday. If he can't go, second-year backup Rod Davis would start in his place.

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie was also injured in Sunday's 24-13 defeat to Tampa Bay, spraining the top part of his left foot. Tests showed no further damage, and McKinnie - who was in a walking boot Monday - should be able to play this week. If not, Adam Goldberg would start there instead.

Running back Mewelde Moore was leg-whipped against the Buccaneers, Tice said, causing some soreness to a left ankle that was sprained last month. But of the three notable injuries, Moore's is the least serious and he is the most likely to play against the Bengals.