Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers had a first half for the ages today against the Bengals.
In the first quarter, Rodgers intercepted Bengals quarterback Jake Browning and ran it back 87 yards for a touchdown.
In the second quarter, Rodgers stripped the ball from Cincinnati’s Noah Fant, picked it up and ran 66 yards for another touchdown.
Rodgers forced another fumble shortly after that touchdown, and the Vikings recovered again.
Rodgers is the first player to score both a pick-six and a fumble recovery touchdown since Samson Ebukam of the Rams did it in 2018, helping his team beat the Chiefs 54-51 in one of the craziest games in NFL history.
Today’s Bengals-Vikings game isn’t nearly as exciting as that game was, as the Vikings are running away with it and leading 31-3 in the second quarter.
Both the Vikings and the Bengals are playing their backup quarterbacks today. Both quarterbacks threw passes that ended up in the end zone in the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Bengals, both touchdowns were scored by the Vikings.
Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz got thing started with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Oliver.
Then Bengals quarterback Jake Browning threw a pass that was picked off by Minnesota’s Isaiah Rodgers, who ran it back 87 yards for a touchdown.
It’s a 14-0 Vikings lead in the first quarter, on a day when the Bengals appear to miss Joe Burrow more than the Vikings miss J.J. McCarthy.
The Browns listed two of their starting offensive linemen as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Packers and only one of them will be playing.
Right tackle Jack Conklin is out with an elbow injury that limited him in practice all this week. Left guard Joel Bitonio did not practice all week because of a back injury, but he will play.
Cornelius Lucas will start in Conklin’s place.
On the Packers side, tight end Tucker Kraft and right tackle Zach Tom will both play.
Jets at Buccaneers
Jets: QB Justin Fields, DE Jermaine Johnson, WR Josh Reynolds, S Tony Adams, DL Jay Tufele, RB Kene Nwangwu, OT Esa Pole
Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin, RB Josh Williams, CB Kindle Vildor, S Rashad Wisdom, T Tristan Wirfs, TE Devin Culp
Bengals at Vikings
Bengals: CB Cam Taylor-Britt, WR Jermaine Burton, TE Tanner Hudson, DT McKinnley Jackson, DE Shemar Stewart
Vikings: QB Desmond Ridder, QB J.J. McCarthy, WR Tim Jones, T Justin Skule, C Ryan Kelly, TE Nick Vannett, DT Elijah Williams
Steelers at Patriots
Steelers: CB Joey Porter Jr., S DeShon Elliott, LB Alex Highsmith, OL Andrus Peat, DL Esezi Otomewo
Patriots: QB Tommy DeVito, CB Christian Gonzalez, OL Caedan Wallace, DT Eric Gregory, WR Efton Chism, LB Elijah Ponder
Colts at Titans
Colts: QB Riley Leonard, TE Will Mallory, LB Chad Muma, OT Luke Tenuta, DE JT Tuimoloau
Titans: S Kevin Winslow, CB Jarvis Brownlee, CB Samuel Womack, LB James Williams, RT JC Latham, RG Kevin Zeitler, WR Bryce Oliver
Texans at Jaguars
Texans: WR Braxton Berrios, QB Graham Mertz, RB Dameon Pierce, RB British Brooks, DE Darrell Taylor, T Blake Fisher, TE Brenden Bates
Jaguars: S Kahlef Hailassie, RB Cody Schrader, OL Wyatt Milum, DL Danny Striggow, DL B.J. Green, DT Khalen Saunders
Falcons at Panthers
Falcons: WR Jamal Agnew, CB A.J. Terrell, OL Jack Nelson, WR Casey Washington, DL Sam Roberts
Panthers: WR Jimmy Horn Jr., WR Xavier Legette, C Nick Samac, TE James Mitchell, LB Patrick Jones, DT Tershawn Wharton
Rams at Eagles
Rams: QB Stetson Bennett, OL DJ Humphries, TE Colby Parkinson, OL Steve Avila, DE Desjuan Johnson
Eagles: LB Azeez Ojulari, QB Tanner McKee, RB Will Shipley, LB Ogbo Okoronkwo, LB Patrick Johnson, OL Drew Kendall, G Kenyon Green
Raiders at Commanders
Raiders: CB Decamerion Richardson, RB Raheem Mostert, DT JJ Pegues, OT Charles Grant, G Caleb Rogers, DE Charles Snowden
Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels, WR Noah Brown, TE John Bates, G Brandon Coleman, LB Kain Medrano, DE Preston Smith
Packers at Browns
Packers: CB Kamal Hadden, OL Donovan Jennings, DL Warren Brinson
Browns: QB Shedeur Sanders, S Damontae Kazee, CB Cameron Mitchell, RB Raheim Sanders, DT Mike Hall Jr., G Zak Zinter, T Jack Conklin
Carson Wentz’s career as a starter was expedited by an injury to a Vikings quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater’s torn ACL forced Minnesota to scramble for help, prompting the Eagles to collect a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick for Sam Bradford — and pushing Wentz into the unquestioned QB1 role in Philly.
Nine years later, another injury to a Vikings quarterback has unlocked Wentz’s latest opportunity to play. And play he will, as Minnesota’s starter against the Bengals and former Vikings backup Jake Browning.
For Wentz, he’ll finally be taking the field for the team he rooted for as a child.
“I used to come to the Metrodome, and I was waving the towel,” Wentz told reporters on Wednesday. “And so running out of that tunnel this week will probably hit me a little bit different -- in a really cool, kind of surreal way.”
Wentz will be the first player to start for six different teams in six consecutive seasons: Eagles (2020), Colts (2021), Commanders (2022), Rams (2023), Chiefs (2024), and Vikings (2025). Today’s game will be his 95th career regular-season start.
He has had some solid seasons. In 2017, he was on track for the league MVP award until suffering a torn ACL against the Rams in December. In 2019, he threw 27 touchdown passes against seven interceptions for the Eagles. (He exited the wild-card loss to the Seahawks with a concussion.) In 2021 with the Colts, Wentz again threw 27 touchdown passes against only seven interceptions during the lone 17-start season of his career.
It wasn’t enough to get him a second year in Indy. Injuries marred his sole season with the Commanders. After that, Wentz was relegated to backup status, waiting until November 2023 to get a shot with the Rams.
Last year, he was the wire-to-wire understudy to Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, with Wentz’s lone start coming in a meaningless Week 18 game.
Wentz has shown high-level skills. (He also has thrown a left-handed pick six from his own end zone.) Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has shown that he can get a quarterback up to speed quickly, as he did with Josh Dobbs after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles midway through the 2023 season.
However it goes, Wentz is getting his shot, with his boyhood favorite team. If it goes well, J.J. McCarthy’s ankle could take a little longer to heal. If it doesn’t, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer could be getting a chance to keep the ship from sinking.
The injury-riddled Vikings have gotten some good news.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, left tackle Christian Darrisaw and safety Harrison Smith are expected to start on Sunday against the Bengals.
Darrisaw hasn’t played since Week 8 of last season, when he suffered a torn ACL. Smith has been out due to an illness.
Per the report, they’ll both likely “rotate on and off.” It’s better than them not playing at all, especially for Darrisaw. Left tackle has been a liability for the Vikings in the first two weeks of the season. Darrisaw’s backup, Justin Skule, is out with a concussion.
Both Darrisaw and Smith have been listed as questionable for the game.
The most important injury for the Vikings is at the quarterback position. J.J. McCarthy has a high ankle sprain. Carson Wentz will start.
