Vikings, Bengals battle for playoff spots

CINCINNATI — The winner of Saturday’s game between the Vikings and Bengals will stay in the crowded playoff picture — at least for now. The loser could be in trouble.

The matchup of the 7-6 teams — both relying on backup quarterbacks to get them to the playoffs — is as close to a must-win as either has played this season.

The Bengals are in the middle of a crowd of six AFC teams with 7-6 records. A loss to Minnesota would leave their postseason aspirations in tough shape.

“Yeah, this is a big one that we really need,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “I’m sure that (the Vikings) feel the exact same way. It’s just really the way the league is set up this year. It’s interesting for the fans, it keeps everybody involved, and everyone’s got a lot to play for. And I think ultimately, we’re in a position — I think Minnesota is in a position — to where you keep controlling what you can control, and good things will happen.”

The Vikings have a one-game lead over a pack of NFC teams that are 6-7 going into the weekend. They play the AFC North-leading Lions (9-2) in the two of their last three games.

“You don’t really know who’s going to be the last man standing in our division, so that keeps the juices flowing, especially with these games that we have left,” Minnesota receiver Justin Jefferson said. “It’s exciting. Definitely ready to get out there and perform.”

Cincinnati was all but written off when franchise quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury Nov. 16.

But backup Jake Browning — a former practice squad QB — has been exceptional in leading the Bengals to wins over the AFC South-leading Jaguars and the Colts in the past two weeks.

“He’s continued just to show confidence and allowed us to have confidence and the team to have confidence with just how he’s prepared and carried himself,” Taylor said.

Minnesota is a little less settled at quarterback.

Journeyman Nick Mullens is set to start Saturday after relieving an ineffective Joshua Dobbs last week and helping lead the Vikings to a 3-0 victory at Las Vegas, snapping a two-game skid.

Mullens is the fourth different starter for the Vikings, who lost Kirk Cousins to an injury Oct. 29. Rookie Jaren Hall and Dobbs, who arrived in an emergency trade with Arizona after Cousins was hurt, also have started games.

Jefferson’s return, take two

The Vikings welcomed Jefferson back last week from a hamstring injury that cost him seven games, only to see him sidelined in the second quarter from a hard hit to the chest that was concerning enough to send him to the hospital for further evaluation. He checked out fine and plans to play without restriction against the Bengals.

“I felt like a kid again, just being out there on that field,” Jefferson said. “I wasn’t going to be on that field without being 100%, so my hamstring was definitely 100 and feeling very, very good.”

Jake steps up

In a season that has seen backup quarterbacks pressed into service because of a rash of injuries to starters, Browning has stood out.

He didn’t take his first regular-season snaps until this season, but the 27-year-old has looked just as cool on the field as Burrow.

If Browning is uncomfortable with anything, it’s the increased media attention that comes with being QB1.

“I guess that was part of the job that I really never experienced, and I think that’s been an adjustment,” Browning said.

“I think if you have all these different opinions about a bunch of different stuff, you can create a lot of clutter. I like focusing on like one or two things very in-depth, and kind of the rest of stuff — right or wrong — I just I don’t really care a ton.”

Better defense

The Cincinnati defense, statistically still among the worst in the league, has been much improved in the past few weeks, especially in stopping the run. The Jaguars had 71 rushing yards against Cincinnati, and the Colts were held to just 46 last week. Both averaged fewer than 3 yards per carry.

The Colts had just one offensive touchdown, and the Bengals had three sacks, including two by defensive end Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals’ plus-10 turnover differential is tied for second best in the league.

Protection plan

The Vikings lost right tackle Brian O’Neill to a sprained ankle during the game last week against the Raiders, who had five sacks — including two by star edge rusher Maxx Crosby. O’Neill is out for Saturday.

“We’re banged up that room. We’re banged up in a lot of areas,” said left guard Dalton Risner, who is dealing with an ankle injury that briefly sidelined him against the Raiders. “It’s also the middle of December, man. That’s what happens. We’ve got to be able to play our best ball when it counts, which is now. So we’ve got to find a way.”

MINNESOTA (7-6) at CINCINNATI (7-6)

Saturday, 1 p.m. EST, NFL Network.

OPENING LINE: Bengals by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Vikings 7-4-2; Bengals 6-6-1.

SERIES RECORD: Tied 7-7.

LAST MEETING: Bengals beat Vikings 27-24 in overtime on Sept. 12, 2021, in Cincinnati.

LAST WEEK: Vikings beat Raiders 3-0; Bengals beat Colts 34-14.

VIKINGS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (12), PASS (16), SCORING (8).

VIKINGS DEFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (26), PASS (17), SCORING (T27).

BENGALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (32), PASS (17), SCORING (22).

BENGALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (27), PASS (27), SCORING (22).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Vikings minus-5; Bengals plus-10.

VIKINGS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB Ivan Pace Jr. The undrafted rookie, who played in college at Cincinnati, has taken over command of the defensive huddle with veteran Jordan Hicks sidelined by a shin injury. Pace had a sack in each of the past two games and had a career-high 13 tackles with a game-sealing interception last week at Las Vegas and was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

BENGALS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jake Browning’s past two games have been outstanding. Stepping in for injured franchise QB Joe Burrow, Browning threw for 354 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in a win over the Jaguars. Then last week he threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another to beat the Colts to keep Cincinnati in the AFC playoff mix.

KEY MATCHUP: Browning against the Vikings defense. The Bengals scored 34 points in each of the past two games, tying a season high. The Minnesota D has allowed 12 touchdowns in its past 10 games, the fewest in the NFL over that span.

KEY INJURIES: RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) and RT Brian O’Neill (ankle) have been ruled out after leaving the game against the Raiders. RG Ed Ingram (hip) will return. WR Justin Jefferson (chest) practiced on a limited basis and said Wednesday he plans to play. He’s listed as questionable. Bengals: WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd, and CB DJ Turner II were limited in practice, all with ankle issues.

SERIES NOTES: The longest win streak in the series was just two, then the Vikings prevailed in 1989 and ’92. … The teams have alternated wins in the past seven games from 1995 to 2021. … The Vikings are 1-7 all time in Cincinnati, with four straight losses since their lone road win in 1992. … They’ve never lost to the Bengals in six games in Minnesota.

STATS AND STUFF: The 3-0 win by the Vikings last week was the first 3-0 game in the NFL since since Pittsburgh beat Miami on Nov. 26, 2007. … The Vikings are 7-1 in their past eight Saturday regular-season games, going back 29 years. Their lone loss in that stretch was at Green Bay on Dec. 24, 2016. … The Vikings will start Nick Mullens at QB, their fourth different starter this season after Cousins, Jaren Hall and Joshua Dobbs. Mullens replaced Dobbs in the fourth quarter against the Raiders and led the drive for the decisive field goal. … Since the Super Bowl era began in 1966, six teams in a non-strike regular season have won games with four different starting quarterbacks, including the Browns this season. The Vikings with a win behind Mullens would join the Texans (2015), the Panthers (2007), the Saints (1998) and the Patriots (1989, 1988). … Despite missing seven games with a hamstring injury and more than half of the game last week with the chest injury, Jefferson is 90 receiving yards away from setting the all-time record for most receiving yards in a player’s first four seasons. … The Vikings’ T.J. Hockenson leads all TEs with 85 receptions, the most in Vikings history by a TE. Hockenson is second among TEs in the NFL this season with 839 receiving yards. … Josh Metellus, who has played all over the defense for the Vikings in largely a safety-linebacker hybrid role while playing more than 93% of the snaps, is tied for third in the NFL with four forced fumbles. … Browning spent his first two NFL seasons on the Vikings’ practice squad (2019-20) … Browning has passed for 629 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games. … Browning beat out the more experienced Trevor Siemian for the backup role in the preseason. Siemian is currently on the practice squad for the Jets. … Browning has completed 69 of 84 passes (79.3 percent) in his first three starts — the highest completion rate by any NFL QB in his first three career starts since 1950. … Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase has 1,092 receiving yards. He has over 1,000 yards in each of his three NFL seasons. … Defensively, the Bengals held Jacksonville to 71 rushing yards and the Colts to just 46 last week. … DE Trey Hendrickson had two sacks last week, giving him 13 1/2 for the season. That’s a half sack behind the Steelers T.J Watt and 1 1/2 behind the Chargers’ Khalil Mack for the league lead. … Rookie Chase Brown has given the Bengals another solid option at running back to complement veteran Joe Mixon. … They have combined for over 100 rushing yards in the past two games. They also combined for 126 receiving yards in last week’s rout of the Colts. … The Bengals have scored 62 points in the first quarter since Week 5, the third most in the NFL in that span. Their eight first-quarter TDs during that span are tied for second. … The Bengals plus-10 turnover differential is second best in the league.