Cincinnati aims for a 3-0 start when it travels to Minnesota for a showdown against the Vikings on Sunday. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on CBS (Cincinnati’s channel 12).

Here is what to watch for:

Battle of League's Top Receivers

Sunday features perhaps the top two wide receivers in the NFL currently in Cincinnati's Ja’Marr Chase and Minnesota's Justin Jefferson. Since the start of the 2021 season, both players rank in the top six leaguewide in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. They also both have reached 1,000 receiving yards in every season they've been in the NFL, with Jefferson doing so in each of his first five seasons (2020-24) and Chase in each of his first four ('21-24).

In Week 2 against Jacksonville, Chase logged his 400th career catch in what was his 64th regular-season game, tying him as the fifth-fastest player ever to reach that milestone. Jefferson (62 games) was the third-fastest to hit that mark, and last Sunday he became the second-fastest to amass 500 receptions (79 games).

Chase, who last season became the sixth player in the Super Bowl era to win the "Triple Crown," is coming off a 14-catch, 165-yard stat line in the win over the Jaguars. It marked his sixth career game with at least 10 receptions and 150 yards, which already ties Jefferson for the most in NFL history by a player in their first five seasons.

The history between Chase and Jefferson famously dates back to their college playing days at LSU, where they were part of a historic offense that, alongside Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow, led the Tigers to a national title in the 2019 season. Chase led the country in receiving yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20) on the way to winning the Biletnikoff Award, while Jefferson had a nation-leading 111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 scores.

Browning Takes Center Stage

After leading a 92-yard game-winning drive in Week 2 against Jacksonville, Jake Browning prepares to make his eighth career start and first of the season on Sunday at Minnesota. He made his previous seven starts to close out the 2023 season, and helped steer Cincinnati to a 4-3 record in that stretch.

In his previous stint as the Bengals' starter, Browning ranked second in the NFL in passing yards (1,868) and completed 70.5 percent of his passes. He helped the team rattle off a three-game win streak in December of 2023 in which the offense averaged 31.7 points. That streak was capped off by a 27-24 overtime win over Minnesota at Paycor Stadium, in a contest that saw Browning throw for 243 yards and two touchdowns after halftime as the offense overcame a 14-point deficit.

Browning finished the Week 2 win over the Jaguars with 21 completions on 32 attempts for 241 yards and two TDs. On the final offensive drive, which began at the Bengals' own eight-yard line, he went nine-for-12 for 65 yards and punctuated it with a one-yard leap into the end zone to give Cincinnati the lead with 18 seconds left.

Defense Aims for More Takeaways

The Bengals' secondary has started hot out of the gates this season with two interceptions in the opening win at Cleveland followed by two more against Jacksonville. Third-year safety Jordan Battle has steered the ship with a pick in each game, and he is one of just two players in the league currently with multiple interceptions, alongside Indianapolis safety Camryn Bynum.

Should Cincinnati collect two more picks off Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz on Sunday, it would mark the first time since 2005 that the Bengals open a season with multiple interceptions in each of their first three games. That 2005 unit tallied an eye-popping 12 interceptions through the first three contests, and went on to lead the league with 31 picks.

The Bengals are one of three teams with at least four interceptions through the first two weeks of the season, alongside Seattle (four) and Jacksonville (five).

Hendrickson's Hot Start

Trey Hendrickson opened the season with a sack for a six-yard loss at Cleveland, then punctuated the win over Jacksonville by bringing down quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the closing seconds.

Hendrickson's two sacks this year boosted his total up to 37 since the start of the 2023 season, which are 5.5 more than any other NFL player in that span. He also has 59 sacks since joining the Bengals as a free agent in the 2021 offseason, which already are tied with former edge rusher Ross Browning for the fifth-most in team history.

By getting in the sack column again on Sunday, Hendrickson would be the first Cincinnati player to post a sack in each of the first three games of a season since Carlos Dunlap in 2014. Dunlap that year notched a sack at Baltimore, against Atlanta and against Tennessee to help the Bengals shoot out to a 3-0 start.

3-0 Start on the Line

The Bengals have an opportunity to begin the season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2015. That year, Cincinnati extended its perfect start to 8-0, before going on to win the AFC North Division at 12-4.

Cincinnati improved to 2-0 for the first time under Zac Taylor and the 15th time in franchise history. The Bengals have started 3-0 on nine previous occasions, and in six of those years they earned a postseason berth. Since the NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002, 86 of the 116 teams to begin a season with three straight wins have advanced to the playoffs (74 percent).

Check out the Bengals 2025 Schedule.