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Another Vikings win in London?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sunday's Week 5 game ended with Minnesota topping Cleveland 21-17 via a 12-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz to Jordan Addison with 25 seconds remaining.

The throw and impressive catch made Wentz 9-for-9 with 71 yards on the possession that began with a 9-yard run by Jordan Mason.

The Vikings improved to 3-2 on the 2025 season as the team heads into a well-placed bye for a team that hopes it will be healthier when it enters Week 7.

Minnesota also improved to 5-0 when playing a regular-season game in the United Kingdom, getting by with help from friends along the offensive line. Call the group the "MMMC," an adaptation of the Minnesota Moving Co. that has "Makeshift" as a bonus initial adjective.

Blake Brandel made his first appearance at center in a game ever (in place of Ryan Kelly and Michael Jurgens). Joe Huber started for the first time in a pro game at left guard (in place of Donovan Jackson). Justin Skule opened the contest at right tackle (in place of Brian O'Neill) and moved to left tackle once Christian Darrisaw hit a "pitch count." Darrisaw played 41 offensive snaps. Once Skule moved to the left side, second-year pro Walter Rouse entered the game on the right side.

The patchwork kept an incredibly talented Browns front from wrecking the game. Six-time Pro Bowler and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett finished with three tackles and no sacks.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell didn't yield away from the plan of limiting Darrisaw's snaps a week after he had played 76 against Pittsburgh. He also navigated the way to handle a player making an off-field mistake (Addison missed a team walk-through and sat for the first quarter) with providing an opportunity to offset the miscue.

Minnesota's defense controlled the fourth quarter, building momentum from a booming 77-yard punt by Ryan Wright that placed the ball at the Cleveland 1 with 56 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The Vikings forced quick punts on each of the next four Browns possessions, giving up just one first down for more than 15 minutes of game action.

There were snippets of complementary football, as well as some playbook creativity that included a Wildcat formation snap to running back Cam Akers, who guided the football to tight end Josh Oliver for a 32-yard touchdown.

It was the first touchdown pass by a non-QB in an International Series game and Minnesota's first since 2008 (Chester Taylor to Visanthe Shiancoe at New Orleans) and the third-longest in team history.

A loss in Dublin. A win in London. In Sunday's case, two very evenly matched teams battled, and the Vikings overcame two turnovers plus a missed field goal to do just enough to win. As I saw at Croke Park, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was filled with nearly every NFL team jersey. Between the two events, I did see at least one jersey from all 32 teams. This time Vikings fans outnumbered the "home" team fans, and unlike Dublin, Vikings fans were able to get a few quite loud SKOL Chants echoing through the stadium.

The patchwork offensive line held up far better than I feared, and while penalties remain a problem, they didn't derail chances for victory. I remain concerned about the run defense. Cleveland got far too many chunk runs and was able to string together running plays for first downs. I would have expected a game plan that required a rookie QB making his first start to throw more than Dillon Gabriel was required to throw.

Nonetheless, a bye week awaits. Healthy starters should be coming back, and the Vikings can start thinking about stringing together wins.

Skol!

— Jeff K. in London via Dublin via Sacramento

Thanks to Jeff and others who were able to make it to one or both of the historic games. It honestly was a tremendous opportunity that I'll forever be grateful for being able to cover.

This was my fourth time covering a London game, and it's been tremendous to see the way that American football has gained momentum. Having tried to keep up with scores of Sunday Night and Monday Night Football while there, I fully understand the commitment level of fans who are following teams into wee hours.

The welcomes our travel party received in Ireland and again in the UK are truly special and forever memories.

I can't underscore how impressed I am by the Vikings operations staff for any road trip, whether it's an every-year destination in the division or something like the unprecedented double dip.

O'Connell expressed his appreciation for Minnesota's support staff.

"One thing for sure is my confidence level to take on the endeavor that it was, was very strong because of the people I have a chance to work with, players included, coaches," O'Connell said. "This was a tough week on coaches. We tried to maximize our time with the players, but coaches are not exactly on that player schedule, and I asked these guys to empty the tank and give everything they possibly have — whatever it takes from a game-planning standpoint, maybe having conversations about what it would look like if C.D. hit his snap count or told us it was time — how would we play that game, so we really tried to do every everything we could uncover every stone and make sure that we were prepared.

"But my confidence, because of the people that help us do these things, guys like Paul Martin, who, our fans won't know Paul Martin, but they should, because he's a heck of a travel agent, if you need one. People like Tyler Williams, people like Ben Hawkins, Chuck Peterson, there's these names that hit my mind of why I was confident in it," O'Connell added. "With all that being said, it was a unique thing for everybody to navigate. And I told our players the other day, if you're looking for excuses, you'll find them, so don't look. We just wanted to go 1-0 [Sunday], and we were able to do that."

As for the run defense, it seems like the Vikings are still struggling to set edges from time to time on runs that reach the perimeter.

Rookie Quinshon Judkins impressed on several runs, including his game-long 32-yarder to start Cleveland's second possession that ended with the first touchdown of the game. Forty-one of the second-round pick's 110 rushing yards occurred on that play and the 9-yard rush that immediately followed. Take out those two, and Judkins totaled 69 yards on 21 other rushes (3.3 per carry).

Teams usually do a self-scout during their bye week to address areas of improvement, and there are numerous things, including preventing chunk runs, where the team can apply focus to make improvements beginning in a Week 7 matchup against the Eagles.

Blake Brandel is a Swiss Army knife for our offensive line. When Michael Jurgens was ruled out, I had no idea who would play center. It is not an easy position. Brandel held down the fort and really showed his value to our team. Great teammate.

— Gerald Goblirsch

O'Connell had previously noted Brandel's versatility being something that could provide a substantial lift for the Vikings, and such was the case Sunday.

Brandel started all 17 games at left guard in 2024. The Vikings drafted Jackson in the first round this spring, but Brandel didn't pout about it. He just kept working, and multiple people mentioned how well he did during training camp.

It was a really impressive showing for a group that faced a big challenge and opened the game with its 12^th different combination of five linemen in just its fifth contest.

Hats off to the Vikes for pulling out the last-minute win against the best defense in the league. Down three (and eventually four) out of the starting five on the OL, and missing Blake Cashman and the 'Gink Monster,' the Vikes toughed it out with the "Next Man Up" philosophy and were still the best team on the pitch. Kudos to all of them. Jets (Justin Jefferson) had his usual all-star performance, and Mr. Flores and his guys clamped down on the Browns when it counted. Well done!

— Skip Ringerud, Season Ticket Holder since 1961

The group played fast but with full composure during the game-winning drive, which was the 14^th of his career and first since with the Rams in Week 18 of the 2023 season.

The game plan and execution wound up being enough, even if it did require the impressive come-from-behind effort.

Jefferson was elite. His 488 receiving yards in international games (four contests) are the most in NFL history, and he passed Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson (7,836) and Jerry Rice (7,866) for the third-most receiving yards by a player through his first six seasons (7,881). Jefferson trails only Torry Holt (8,156) and Randy Moss (8,375).

Frustrating game to watch. So happy we pulled it out though with an amazing 2-minute scoring drive by the Vikings offense. There was troubling offensive and defensive inconsistency throughout the game — offense couldn't mount scoring drives consistently, and our defense couldn't stop the Browns consistently. I am not sure what Wentz was thinking by taking two major third down hits in the shadow of our own goal — then we punted. Did he forget how to slide and then we could have punted without him taking major hits? We are so lucky he was able to come out to play in the second half. Our defense was soft against the run; we gave up too many yards and too many points. Still too many special teams penalties as well. Below are my 3 Ups and 3 Downs for the game:

UPS:

1. Beautiful scoring drive on our second possession. Cam Akers playing QB and hits Josh Oliver on a TD pass. Where did that come from?

2. Wonderful opening TD drive to start the second half and take the lead. The second-and-10 run by Mason was masterful — taking it outside with the lateral cut for a first down inside the 10 and then his TD run up the middle. Nicely done!

3. Nice stop with under four minutes by the Vikings defense. Followed by the game-winning TD drive. Addison shined on this scoring drive.

DOWNS:

1. Our opening kickoff misses the landing zone, gifting the Browns opening field position at the 40? Then as a direct result of that play, our opening field position is inside the 10 followed by a Jordan Mason fumble which then becomes a Browns short-field TD. A terrible opening sequence.

2. The Browns first drive of the second half, after we took the lead, is a perfect example of our defensive mediocrity. The Browns execute a ball control sustained drive to retake the lead by slicing through the Vikings defense. And the Vikings defense has no answer whatsoever? Soft on the run and so disappointing.

3. Great punt by the Vikings inside the 5. Great three-and-out by the Vikings defense. Great return and field position for the Vikings. Sure enough followed by our second turnover on fumbles? Sad.

Glad we are heading into the bye.

Respectfully,

— Jeff Ludwig

I think Wentz was just trying to find any means necessary on third down, but that led to him taking big hits that are less than ideal and prompted an examination of his left shoulder.

The best news the Vikings have received on an injury front was that Wentz would be able to stay in the game. He not only kept playing but played well in critical moments.

One of the high points for me the past week was working near Paul Allen and Pete Bercich (I sat between them for both game days) as they did their game preparation work. Allen has been sitting on the possibility of Akers throwing a pass for three years after noting the RB went 5-for-8 with 97 yards while in college at Florida State.

The Vikings made the most off a fresh set of downs after Jefferson earned a 12-yard defensive pass interference penalty on third-and-7.

Wentz followed with consecutive passes of 21 to Jefferson and 15 to Addison before Mason's 14-yard run mentioned by Jeff to create first-and-goal at the 6. Mason finished the drive two plays later.

Not quite sure what happened on the opening kickoff. Will Reichard has been pretty reliable on those. He bounced back from that, as well as having a 51-yard field goal tipped at the line of scrimmage with 9:46 remaining to make the final extra point and force Cleveland to need a touchdown with just 25 seconds on the clock.

The third quarter drive by the Browns was impressive execution by Cleveland, which converted one of three successful attempts on fourth down and a third-and-goal for a 9-yard touchdown. The Browns were just 3-for-15 on third down. Probably the most disappointing play during the drive from a Vikings perspective was allowing Judkins to pop for 14 on a first-and-15.

Wright's day of punting was simply brilliant. He averaged 57.2 yards, and the coverage helped net 51.0. It was a good day for the Vikings punter to have a great day.

Justin Jefferson has had unbelievable great catches today! 57 seconds to go in the game, third-and-3, we got this SKOL!!

— Derek in North Dakota

Sometimes emails sent during the game serve as vent sessions, but this one from Derek spoke goodness into existence.

And sometimes emails are sent before the clock hits zero and the team has its final impact on the outcome…

This is a team that we can't be proud of. There is no reason for this team to play so badly. If they just get outplayed, OK, but with the many penalties, especially key penalties where some key play momentum is taken away. I am very disappointed. Let us hope this bye week gets us on track and healthy. We need more sacks, please.

I wrote all that before the game was finished, as you can probably tell. I don't take it back, but an awesome finish with a catch by J.A., for the WIN. I don't know if I can take these type games much more, but I will.

SKOL,

— Gill Sorg in New Mexico

The Vikings have endured a year's worth of injuries in a month's time. The constant roster churn hasn't helped avoid penalties, but it's also not going to be leaned on as an excuse. Reducing those, particularly of the pre-snap variety, and turnovers are going to be points of emphasis.

That was the 17^th game-winning drive the Vikings have executed during the O'Connell era.

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