Murphy: Vikings can build off Bengals blowout
Brian Murphy looks at how the Vikings smashed Cincinnati and where they can go from here
By Brian Murphy
Golden content crackled on every frame of celluloid whenever NFL Films mic’d up the late Marty Shottenheimer for his emotional pregame and postgame speeches.
Typically a word salad of Parcells, Carnegie and Hamlet would leave players in grateful tears or glazed-over wonderment as the man with the eighth-most victories in league history punctuated his message with metaphors only Shottenheimer realized.
“There’s a gleam, men. … There’s a gleam,” he told the Cleveland Browns on the sideline before the 1986 AFC Championship Game. “Let’s get the gleam.”
The older you get, Shottenheimer’s words of wisdom echo as you come to understand that we’re all after the gleam, however that manifests in your personal or professional destinies. Turns out, there is a gleam for the 2025 Vikings to get, whether it’s the shine of the Lombardi Trophy or a stylized takeover of their perennially spinning quarterback carousel.
Their 48-10 rag-dolling of the previously undefeated Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium reminded us how Minnesota and its star-studded roster are capable of performing whether it’s Carson Wentz or J.J. McCarthy under center.
So much sweat and anxiety have been spilled trying to wrap hearts and minds around whether the injured McCarthy is progressing or regressing through two starts it is convenient to forget this is a damn good team that already knows how to win. The Vikings just need to figure out how to win right now.
Like stealing a team’s soul with tenacious defense, a pounding running game, competent quarterback play and a money kicker who is redefining his range by the game.
The Vikings treated Bengals back-up Jake Browning exactly like the turnover-prone quarterback he’s always been, intercepting him twice among five takeaways that turned Week 3 into a laugher before halftime.
Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers stole the headlines with his historic thievery -- interception and fumble returns for touchdowns, plus another forced fumble -- but the domination was diversified. Nine quarterback hits, seven tackles for a loss and four sacks snuffed all Bengals hopes as they were held to just 171 total yards and a dozen forgettable first downs.
It was a Brian Flores block party as Minnesota’s maniacal defensive coordinator dialed up pressure and coverage schemes that frazzled Browning and handcuffed playmakers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Wentz could not have asked for a cozier security blanket making his first significant start since 2021. His command of a six-play, 64-yard touchdown drive on the first possession set the stage for Wentz to calm a jittery and unproductive offense and the defense to score two touchdowns and lean on the Bengals for the rest of the afternoon.
This was Wentz at his placeholder best, protecting the football, absorbing unhelpful sacks but avoiding the catastrophic mistakes that have plagued McCarthy. Toss in 116 punishing yards from running back Jordan Mason and the Vikings got their get-well win as they prepare to spend 11 days in Dublin and London.
It’s been two harrowing weeks for coach Kevin O’Connell as he accelerated Wentz’s onboarding after the veteran free agent signed Aug. 24. He already watched McCarthy lead a fourth-quarter comeback in his Chicago debut only to faceplant in the home opener before being lost to a sprained ankle.
Wentz did more than take the edge off with a timely win. He reframed short-term expectations for a team that is building up its inexperienced franchise quarterback while chasing Super Bowl aspirations.
O’Connell may have seen the gleam.
“This is the feeling that we chase, and now we go back to work and check the box of being a consistent football team showing up on game day,” he said. “The ability to come back and put forth an effort like that in all three phases was very encouraging for the future.”
There is ample work to do.
The Vikings welcomed back left tackle Christian Darrisaw, whose impact in run blocking and pass protection was immediately felt with Mason bulldozing into the defensive backfield and Wentz enjoying relatively clean pockets.
But the offensive line is still without starting center Ryan Kelly and tackle Justin Skule. The pre-snap penalties piled up Sunday and bogged down the offense for long stretches that would have been problematic but for the defense’s prowess.
Otherwise, the offense was balanced and productive, and Wentz’s fingerprints were all over it.
“His poise, his calmness and his effectiveness to do the job as the quarterback provided poise for everybody in that huddle,” said O’Connell.
Wentz allows the Vikings to let McCarthy completely heal from a reported high ankle sprain, which can take longer to heal than a garden variety twist. Traveling to Europe for two weeks is unconventional to say the least, although the club is well-conditioned for overseas journeys.
Still, two weeks is an eternity in the NFL. Just ask McCarthy.
But the Vikings grab their passports with confidence restored as Flores retreats to his laboratory to plot against the Pittsburgh Steelers and future hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Minnesota flustered Rodgers so much last year in London that it cost Jets coach Robert Saleh his job.
The Browns await them Week 4 in London. Cleveland may have pulled a golden horseshoe from somewhere Sunday to upset the Packers, but I don’t think anyone’s sweating this one.
An overseas sweep is in play although holding serve with a split puts the Vikings at a viable 3-2 entering their Week 6 bye with a brutal 12-game sprint to January.
McCarthy should be healthy by then after a healthy dose of Wentz, the self-aware Red River Valley caretaker.
“I don’t want to be the one making plays, I just want to get it to these playmakers,” Wentz said. “My job’s just 1, 2, 3, throw it and let them do the hard work.”
Should be plenty to get the Vikings through Weeks 4, 5, and 6.