The offensive side of the football for the Minnesota Vikings has taken some serious hits over the first two weeks of the 2025 NFL season. Promising young quarterback J.J. McCarthy is on the mend with a high ankle sprain, and star running back Aaron Jones is dealing with a hamstring, resulting in him being placed on injured reserve.
Despite losing two of the team’s best offensive weapons heading into Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Vikings do have some good news. Minnesota, outside of an unforeseen setback, will get star safety Harrison Smith back on the gridiron on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Vikings Will Get Major Upgrade Defensively in Week 3
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Smith is expected to play against the Bengals, which is good timing, considering they’ll be facing a backup quarterback in Jake Browning in the wake of superstar Joe Burrow undergoing surgery on his injured toe.
The veteran safety missed the first two weeks of the 2025 campaign due to a personal health issue, which goes all the way back to August, when he was absent for most of training camp. He’ll be a welcome addition to a defense that has given up 46 points over the first two games, while coming off a disappointing loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.
Harrison is a game-changer for the Vikings’ defense and should put a lot more pressure on Browning, who is coming off a game where he threw three interceptions against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Harrison may be on the older side, as he’ll turn 37 in February, but he can still get the job done in the secondary, making him invaluable to this squad.
Vikings-Bengals: Battle of Backup QBs
The Vikings will be looking to bounce back with a vengeance in Week 3 after scoring only six points in the loss to the Falcons. Carson Wentz will be under center, with McCarthy dealing with an ankle sprain, making this matchup a battle of backups at the quarterback position, with no telling how things will pan out.
Even though Wentz and Browning aren’t going to strike in defensive coordinators at this point in their NFL careers, both players have no shortage of talent at their disposal. The former No. 2 overall pick will have Justin Jefferson as his primary target while Cincinnati’s leader under center will have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins downfield.
That said, both quarterbacks will be put in a position to succeed on Sunday, and it may very well come down to the defense and players like Smith to tilt the scales. Although the Bengals are undefeated with consecutive wins to start the season, Burrow’s absence will likely be glaring and something the team may struggle to overcome moving forward, especially considering he’ll be out for a minimum of three months while recovering from surgery.
The Vikings are slightly favored coming into this matchup, which might be the right call, especially with Smith back in the fold and likely anxious to make a statement right out of the gate in his season debut.