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THE WIRE
WK 15 FINAL Ravens 34, Broncos 0 WK 15 FINAL Steelers 24, Chargers 17 WK 15 FINAL Dolphins 24, Jets 30 MOVE LaNorris Sellers dev trait up Star to Superstar MOVE Christian Benford dev trait up Star to Superstar MOVE T.J. Moore dev trait up Star to Superstar WK 16 Bills (8-6) at Jaguars (12-2) WK 16 Lions (9-5) at Packers (11-3)
WEEK 6 · FINAL
BENGALS 7-7 · 24.0 PPG 45 – 27 VIKINGS 4-10 · 25.0 PPG
THE READ
72 points between Bengals and Vikings

Cincinnati's 45-27 win over Minnesota in Week 6 was a clinic in execution versus desperation. Joe Burrow threw for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns while Colbie Young hauled in 5 catches for 121 yards and 2 scores, and the Bengals' balanced attack—39 rushing yards and 408 passing—simply overwhelmed Minnesota's anemic ground game of 13 yards. The Vikings' real problem wasn't the 80 percent pass rate; it was JJ McCarthy's 4 interceptions and the 4 total giveaways that handed Cincinnati a clean path to 45 points. MIN has to establish any semblance of a run and tighten up ball security, because no team wins games that way at this level.

Jordan Hayes The armchair coach
THE WIDER PICTURE
Team SRS SOS MARGIN TO +/-
Bengals -2.2 +1.7 -3.9 +2
Vikings -3.3 +4.1 -7.4 -13
SRS is how many points a side beats an average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20. SOS is how hard that schedule has been. Full table.
IN THE BOOTH
Hollis Vaughn The superfan
Minnesota came to throw and Cincinnati came to score 45 points, and that 18-point margin tells the whole story — McCarthy threw 4 interceptions in a game where the Vikes managed 13 rushing yards, and Burrow put on the kind of afternoon you remember come playoff time, 408 yards and 4 touchdowns while his team scored at will.
They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers — none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that did not happen.
Joe Burrow
Bengals
21/32, 408 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
JJ McCarthy
Vikings
11/24, 316 yards, 3 TD, 4 INT
Colbie Young
Bengals
5 catches, 121 yards, 2 TD
THE STORY SO FAR
WHAT DECIDED IT
Total yards Bengals 447, Vikings 329 Bengals
Through the air Bengals 408, Vikings 316 Bengals
On the ground Bengals 39, Vikings 13 Bengals
Giveaways Vikings 4, Bengals 2 Bengals
THE ROOM Final. The recap is below.
📺 THE WEEK 6 SHOW this game is in the week's show ▶ Watch the show
THE MATCHUP SCOUT every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling
LEAGUE DATA counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy Pass 61% · Rush 39% · 24.5 scored, 28.4 allowed
7.9 yds/att 60.1% completions 4.2 yds/carry 353.2 yds/game 1.4 giveaways/game 3.9% sack rate last 5: 2-3
Primary weapon: Ja'Marr Chase WR — 32% of the receiving yards · DEPENDENCY HIGH
SAPPHIRE METRICS QB efficiency 60 · Efficient Balance 89 Ball security 60 Back usage 32% QB runs 4.0/game
PERSONNEL off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 97 WR 88 TE 82 RB 80 OL 78 DL 84 LB 78 DB 82
Best: Ja'Marr Chase WR 99 Fastest: Ja'Marr Chase WR 96 SPD 4 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
HOW THEY PLAY the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season
KNOFLOCKINN$$
Bengals · his last 8 games
Balanced
Pass / run61% / 39% Points for / against21.5 — 26.5 Margin-5.0 Giveaways a game1.0 Sacks taken3.1% of dropbacks Lead backChase Brown · 14.8/g Top targetJa'Marr Chase · 33% QB carries2.6 a game
Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.
MATCHUP ADVANTAGES unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push
Bengals receivers vs Vikings secondary 88 v 85 BENGALS
Vikings receivers vs Bengals secondary 94 v 82 VIKINGS
Bengals line vs Vikings front 78 v 87 VIKINGS
Vikings line vs Bengals front 87 v 84 VIKINGS
Bengals backs vs Vikings run defence 80 v 86 VIKINGS
Vikings backs vs Bengals run defence 82 v 82 EVEN
Bengals passer vs Vikings secondary 97 v 85 BENGALS
Vikings passer vs Bengals secondary 93 v 82 VIKINGS
TOP PERFORMERS
Joe Burrow QB Bengals 408 pass yds
JJ McCarthy QB Vikings 316 pass yds
Nyck Harbor WR Vikings 158 rec yds
Colbie Young WR Bengals 121 rec yds
Ja'Marr Chase WR Bengals 87 rec yds
Chase Brown HB Bengals 80 rec yds
Justin Jefferson WR Vikings 80 rec yds
Tee Higgins WR Bengals 77 rec yds
Boye Mafe REDG Bengals 2 sacks
Bryan Cook FS Bengals 1 INTs
🎬 The Game Recap
this game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›
BOX SCORE
BENGALS
PLAYER C/ATTYDSTDINTSCKLNGRTG
Joe Burrow QB 21/3240842153122.3
VIKINGS
PLAYER C/ATTYDSTDINTSCKLNGRTG
JJ McCarthy QB 11/243163428092.3
RECENT FORM
Bengals
W 46–29 vs Chiefs WK 5
L 23–25 vs 49ers WK 4
L 10–62 vs Seahawks WK 3
Vikings
W 48–42 vs Broncos WK 5
W 66–41 vs Bears WK 4
W 38–28 vs Chiefs WK 3
TEAM STATS
Bengals Vikings
447 TOTAL YARDS 329
408 PASSING YARDS 316
39 RUSHING YARDS 13
1 SACKS ALLOWED 2
2 SACKS MADE 1
2 GIVEAWAYS 4
4 TAKEAWAYS 2

Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
1 BENGALS — 0 VIKINGS
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