By A to Z Sports,John Sheeran

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The NFL schedule-makers circled Sunday’s game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings as a key AFC-NFC matchup. CBS’ top broadcast crew of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson will have the call in Minneapolis, but most of the country will watch a much different contest than the one we thought was in store for us. Instead of Joe Burrow squaring off against a Brian Flores-led defense, Jake Browning is getting his first start in almost two years. Instead of J.J. McCarthy building off the first two games of his career, Carson Wentz will officially log a start for his sixth different club in as many years. What is going on here? We’re trying to figure that out, which is why I reached out to A to Z Sports Minnesota’s Tyler Forness to figure out what the Bengals should expect when they take the field Sunday.

Bengals vs. Vikings questionnaire with Tyler Forness

JS: This matchup looks a lot different than how it was going to look about a month ago. We’ve obviously seen how head coach Kevin O’Connell can make it work with a backup quarterback, so what’s the confidence level in Carson Wentz starting for a very green J.J. McCarthy?

TF: It’s frustrating that McCarthy isn’t going to be the starting quarterback on Sunday for many reasons. However, so much of what was happening wasn’t his fault. The offensive line is all out of sorts, and it’s the biggest problem with this team. If the Vikings can fix the offensive line, it will bring the offensive baseline up.

Wentz is going to be a higher floor player at quarterback than McCarthy. He can stretch the field with his arm and run with his legs, while also not being turnover prone. However, there’s a reason he’s a backup. The offensive scheme as a whole still looks good, especially on the back end with Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor getting open consistently.

JS: No matter who’s throwing the ball, we know Justin Jefferson is showing up to produce. Bengals fans may be surprised to learn that Jalen Nailor is second in receiving thus far. What made him emerge as the second option with Jordan Addison suspended?

TF: Over the course of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s tenure as general manager, there has been a lot of criticism about his drafting. It’s completely fair when talking about his first draft in 2022 when he was on the job for just three months, as only two of the players from that class are currently on the team. One of those is Nailor, who was a sixth-round pick and a hand selected by wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell.

He’s been a work in progress. Known as “Speedy,” Nailor was mainly used as the field stretcher, but this season, he’s done a tremendous job in showing development in his fourth year. He is regularly cooking defenders down the field, and getting wide open in different ways. With the return of Jordan Addison, the bevy of weapons at McCarthy’s disposal will be among the best ever for a first-year starter.