Minnesota at Cincinnati

The Minnesota Vikings are ready to take it to the next level after winning their division for the first time in six years and an improved offensive line will be one of the main reasons. The Vikings added free agents Alex Boone and Andre Smith to bolster the protection that was lacking for Teddy Bridgewater last season, but he still was able to complete 65.3 percent of his passes for 3,231 yards with only nine interceptions. Stefon Diggs, who has looked excellent in training camp, led the team as a rookie with 52 receptions and 720 yards and top draft pick Laquon Treadwell will add another target for Bridgewater.  Of course, Adrian Peterson is back after leading the NFL with 1,485 yards rushing on 4.5 yards per carry. Bridgewater's backup, Shaun Hill, is in his 15th season and played in three games last year after starting eight games for St. Louis in 2014. Taylor Heinicke and rookie Joel Stave are next on the depth chart. Mike Zimmer takes the preseason very seriously as he is 8-1 straight-up and 7-2 ATS in his two seasons as Vikings coach, including 2-0 ATS in the first preseason game. Cincinnati looks to recover from a bizarre playoff loss to Pittsburgh and the Bengals will have a new offensive coordinator in Ken Zampese, who takes over for Hue Jackson, Cleveland's new head coach. Quarterback AJ McCarron will back up Andy Dalton again followed by Keith Wenning and rookie Joe Licata. Giovani Bernard saved the day for the Bengals as he rushed for 730 yards on 4.7 yards per carry after Jeremy Hill failed to live up to expectations. The Bengals lost Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu from the receiving corps, however, A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert remain as Dalton's targets. Both teams have capable backup QBs, which is important in preseason, but the Vikings have no major injuries and Zimmer's preseason record cannot be ignored. Play the Vikings and the OVER.