MINNEAPOLIS -- The rout was on early, as expected.
The Cincinnati Bengals were already wounded when they arrived in Minneapolis, their entire starting linebackers corps decimated by injury. Another major blow was delivered hours before the game when reports surfaced that Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and the organization would part ways after this season.
With the Bengals' world swirling in disorder, the Minnesota Vikings left nothing in doubt in a 34-7 annihilation, getting back on track with a dominating win and locking up the NFC North for the second time since 2015.
As the game wore on and the Vikings furthered their lead over Mike Zimmer’s former team, the “Teddy! Teddy!” chants circled U.S. Bank Stadium in deafening unison.
Case Keenum’s day ended in near perfection at the beginning of the fourth quarter (20-of-23 passing for 236 yards, 2 touchdowns and a passer rating of 138.4), making way for a quarterback switch the Vikings chose to make -- not one they needed to.
With 10 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the game, Teddy Bridgewater took the field for the first time in 708 days. It was another step forward in the quarterback’s journey back from the devastating knee injury he sustained on Aug. 30, 2016.
The Vikings needed a win like this after last week’s sobering loss at Carolina, which was only their third loss of the season. They did exactly what they were expected to against a weaker opponent, which resulted in them punching their ticket to the postseason.
What it means: The Viking will be back in the playoffs this year. Where they’ll be seeded will be determined later, but if they were to finish with two wins in this final stretch of three games, they would end up with a record of 13-3, which nearly guarantees them a first-round bye in the playoffs.
What I liked: Minnesota dominated this game in elite fashion. The Vikings defense made Andy Dalton’s day a living nightmare, applying constant pressure to force him to make bad throws, two of which were intercepted. Dalton was pulled late in the fourth quarter, finishing his day with a passer rating of 27.3 after throwing two interceptions. Minnesota held Cincinnati to 1-of-13 on third down, held its run game to 2.3 yards per rush and simply crushed every attempt the Bengals made at trying to move the ball down field through the air. Offensively, the Vikings outgained the Bengals 347-161, put up their second-highest points total of the year and controlled the game throughout behind another dominating performance from Keenum. Keenum's 87.0 completion percentage was the highest by any QB in a game this season with a minimum of 20 attempts. The previous high was 84.4 by teammate Sam Bradford in Week 1 against the Saints.
What I didn’t like: It’s hard to be picky when this game was an all-out domination by the Vikings. The issues from last week’s loss at Carolina (dropped passes, missed gap assignments) didn’t surface, while penalties were still there (11 for 93 yards), but they didn’t cost Minnesota.
Fantasy fallout: The Bengals were allowing 150 yards rushing since their bye week, so it was expected that Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray would have big performances. McKinnon led the Vikings in receiving with 114 yards while Murray totaled 76 yards rushing and a touchdown. Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph each connected with Keenum for a touchdown.
Teddy’s back: Bridgewater only attempted two passes in his return, one of which was a tipped pass intended for McKinnon that resulted in an interception. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter what his stat line was in his first game back after all this time. What’s important is Bridgewater finally made an appearance in 2017.
What’s next: The last road game of the year at Green Bay. Admit it, Vikings fans. Most of you probably switched over to the Packers-Panthers game when Minnesota went up 24-0 at halftime to keep an eye on Aaron Rodgers. In his first game back since breaking the clavicle in his throwing shoulder at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 6, Rodgers worked into an early groove but the Packers defense struggled to contain Cam Newton in the second half on their way to a loss. At 7-7, Green Bay is not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but the Vikings can officially crush the Packers' chances with a win in Week 16.