Jake Browning was picked off twice in a rough start for the Bengals (2-1), who lost three of their five fumbles and missed Joe Burrow more than ever in their first game since their franchise quarterback had toe surgery that will sideline him for at least three months.
Wentz hit Josh Oliver and T.J. Hockenson for scores and went 14 for 20 for 173 yards without a turnover for the Vikings (2-1), who posted their most lopsided victory since 1998 and their highest score since 2015.
All the breaks in the action gave the stadium operations crew plenty of opportunities to spotlight Rodgers on the videoboard as he smiled for the camera and his teammates waved their arms around him to jokingly try to cool him off.
Rodgers sure took the pressure off Wentz, who had some early trouble avoiding the pass rush but never forced a throw or fumbled the ball in a performance befitting his 10th-year veteran status. Signed as a free agent just three weeks ago, Wentz found himself taking over the offense for the team he grew up in North Dakota rooting for after J.J. McCarthy was sidelined by a sprained ankle.
Browning, who spent his first two NFL seasons on Minnesota’s practice squad and the next two on Cincinnati’s, achieved backup status in 2023 and filled in admirably after a wrist injury forced Burrow out down the stretch. After helping the Bengals secure a 27-24 overtime victory over the Vikings that year, Browning impulsively shouted at a television camera, “They never should’ve cut me!”
Cincinnati plays at Denver next Sunday, when Minnesota faces Pittsburgh in Dublin.
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