Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals odds, picks and predictions

John Holler | Staff Writer

The Minnesota Vikings (7-6) start their 4th quarterback in 7 weeks when Nick Mullens leads them on the road to face the Cincinnati Bengals (7-6). Kickoff at Paycor Stadium is at 1 p.m. ET (NFL Network). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Vikings vs. Bengals odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.

The Vikings remained the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders that cost Josh Dobbs his starting job and ended with injuries that took away WR Justin Jefferson, RB Alexander Mattison and RT Brian O'Neill. They come to Cincinnati beat up and shorthanded.

The Bengals dominated the 2nd half in last week's 34-14 win over the Colts, outscoring Indianapolis 20-0 after halftime. Jake Browning completed 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for a TD.

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Vikings at Bengals odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:08 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Vikings +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Bengals -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Vikings +3 (-105) | Bengals -3 (-115)
Over/Under (O/U): 40.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Vikings at Bengals key injuries

Vikings

WR Justin Jefferson (chest) questionable
RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) out
OT Brian O'Neill (ankle) out

Bengals

LB Joe Bachie (oblique) questionable

Vikings at Bengals picks and predictions

Prediction

Bengals 24, Vikings 20

Moneyline

PASS.

Having to bet more than half what you would get in return in a game that can go either way isn't worth it.

Against the spread

TAKE BENGALS (-115)

The Bengals can beat you by running Joe Mixon 20-25 times and Browning has proved he can beat them through the air when asked to do so.

Mullens is being given the reigns as the next man up, but he's a stationary QB without his right tackle. Last week the Vikings were out of available offensive linemen due to injuries. All it takes is 1 missed assignment by a backup to blow up a drive. The Bengals defense will need to step up and seize the moment when it arises.

Over/Under

With 2 backup QBs you have guys willing to take risks because, in the long-term, they have nothing to lose. They're backups for a reason.

That can manifest itself in 2 ways that benefit the Over. They will take chances to make the 40-yard completion or throw an interception deep in their own territory that leads to a short-field TD for the opponent.

This won't be a time-capsule game, but the willingness to take risks to see what both teams have in their backup QBs moving forward, there should be enough big plays -- good and bad -- to go Over.

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