Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals Prediction, 12/16/2023 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 15

Game: Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Location: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH

TV: NFL NET

Odds/Point Spread: Bengals (-3)

Total/Over-Under: 38

Paycor Stadium is where the Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) will take on the Minnesota Vikings (7-6) on Saturday. Minnesota opens this game as 3-point underdogs. The betting total comes in at 38.

The Minnesota Vikings come into this game with a record of 7-6 for this season. In their last game, the Vikings stepped onto the field against the Raiders and notched a win by a score of 3-0. Nick Mullens finished 9/13 with 83 yds through the air. He had a QB rate of 86.4 and finished the contest without throwing an interception. T.J. Hockenson held an average of 10.6 yds per catch by tallying 53 yards on 5 catches. Alexander Mattison led the offense in rushing for the Vikings with 10 carries for 66 yards (6.6 yds per carry). When all was said and done, they ran 71 plays for 231 yds. The Minnesota Vikings ran the football 30 different times and compiled 132 yds, which came out to an average of 4.4 yds per attempt. In the running game, the Vikings conceded 56 yards on 17 attempts, which calculates to 3.3 yds per rush allowed. Minnesota gave up 21 completions on 32 attempts for 146 yards, and a completion rate of 65.6%.

The Vikings have attained 4,439 yards in total over the course of this year. Minnesota has recorded 164 first downs as an offense, and they have committed 63 infractions for 480 yds. When it comes to getting in the endzone, Minnesota has earned 23 touchdowns via the pass and 5 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the football 24 different times (10 picks and 14 fumbles). As a unit they maintain an average of 95.2 yards via the ground game which is 27th in the NFL. When it comes to putting points on the board, the Minnesota Vikings are averaging 20.5 points per game.

The Vikings rank 5th in the NFL in relation to the opposition scoring, allowing 18.6 PPG. They are allowing an average of 3.7 yards per rush and 92.9 rushing yards per contest this season. During this campaign, they have allowed 1,208 yards via the ground game in 13 games. When talking about yards via the pass, the Vikings have surrendered 2,838 yards which puts them in 14th in the NFL. They have relinquished 218.3 yards per contest via the pass as well as allowing a completion percentage of 69.7%. Overall, they have yielded 311.2 yards per outing putting them 10th in football.

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The Bengals head into this matchup 7-6 this season. The last time they stepped on the football field, the Bengals got the victory with a final of 34-14 when they faced the Colts. Joe Mixon ran the ball 21 times for 79 yds, finishing the game with 3.8 yards per attempt for Cincinnati. Chase Brown was featured in the passing game for the Bengals, snagging 3 throws for 80 yds (26.7 yds per catch). Jake Browning (2 TDs) finished the game with 275 yards on 18/24 through the air while his QB rate was 122.7. He tossed 1 interception and his avg yards per attempt was 11.5 yds. Cincinnati allowed 18 running attempts for 46 yards (2.6 yards per carry). The Bengals secondary gave up a completion percentage of 66.7%, relinquishing 226 yards on 26 out of 39 passing. The Bengals finished the contest with 385 yds while running 57 plays (6.8 yards per play). Cincinnati ended up running for 3.5 yds per attempt, finishing with 111 yds on 32 attempts.

Concerning their scoring prowess, the Bengals are ranked 19th in the NFL by scoring 21.5 points per contest. For the year thus far, the Bengals have racked up 2,984 yards via the pass not to mention holding an average of 229.5 throwing yards per contest, which has them ranked 16th in the league. They maintain an average of 84.7 yards per game on the ground and have run for 1,101 yards in total. The Cincinnati Bengals have an average of 314.2 yards per outing which ranks them 22nd in the league. The Cincinnati offense has compiled 538 yds of penalties on 66 violations, which ranks 29th in the NFL in terms of giving up free yards. They have given away 9 interceptions while letting opponents recover 2 fumbles and they have tallied 157 first downs.

They have allowed 16 touchdowns via the pass as well as 252.1 yards/outing, which puts them in 27th in the NFL. Cincinnati has allowed a total of 1,653 yards rushing (127.2 yards per outing) in addition to 14 touchdowns by way of the ground game this year. Overall, they have surrendered 287 points in total. Their defense has tallied 21 takeaways (8 fumbles recovered and 13 picks) so far this year. The Bengals defense has participated in 824 plays, which has them sitting 14th in the league. The Bengals are conceding 22.1 points per game, which has them in 19th of all teams in the NFL.

Who will win tonight's Vikings/Bengals NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Vikings +3

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