29-05-2025
'Old friends will meet again Week 3': What to know about Bengals-Vikings matchup
Among the most awaited games on the Cincinnati Bengals' 2025 schedule is a Week 3 matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota.
The game, scheduled for Sunday, September 21 at 1 p.m. Eastern, is set to feature a college reunion of former LSU Tigers' teammates: the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, and the Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson.
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All three starred for the 2019 Tigers, a team that finished the season 15-0 and won the CFP National Championship.
"Old friends will meet again Week 3," the NFL on CBS tweeted.
Former LSU teammates Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings
What to know about the Bengals-Vikings game:
The Bengals won two previous Chase vs. Jefferson meetings, both in overtime.
The Bengals and Vikings have squared off twice since 2020, the year Burrow was Cincinnati's first-round pick (first overall) and Jefferson was Minnesota's first-round pick (22nd overall).
The Bengals have won both games, both by the same 27-24 result. Both games were played in Cincinnati; Burrow played in the first meeting but missed the second.
The first regular-season game of Chase's NFL career came against the Vikings.
In his NFL debut Sept. 12, 2021, in Cincinnati, Chase had five catches for 101 receiving yards with a touchdown.
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It was also Burrow's first game back after suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2020. He had 261 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Jefferson had five catches in that game, for 71 yards.
Weeks later, Chase broke Jefferson's NFL rookie record for receiving yards in a season.
The Bengals and Vikings met again in December 2023.
Jefferson, who wore a "Bayou Trio" sweatshirt with himself, Chase and Burrow on it during pregame warmups, had seven receptions for 84 yards. Chase had four catches for 64 yards.
Burrow didn't play, having suffered a season-ending injury against Baltimore four weeks earlier.
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Tee Higgins made one of the most impressive catches of his career, on a pass by Jake Browning.
The Vikings will have their third starting quarterback in three meetings with the Bengals.
Kirk Cousins was Minnesota's quarterback for the game in 2021. Nick Mullens was the Vikings' QB when the two teams met in 2023.
JJ McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury.
He'll likely be the Vikings' QB in Week 3, and could match up against former Michigan teammates Dax Hill, DJ Turner and Kris Jenkins.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals-Vikings Week 3: Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase vs Justin Jefferson
