The Minnesota Vikings headed to London this weekend for part two of their western Europe tour, taking on the Cleveland Browns.
Both teams went into the weekend in desperate need of a win as Cleveland came into the week with a 1-3 record, and the Vikings were 2-2. In the end, it was a bit of slugfest as both defenses fought to gain leverage.
In the end, the Vikings were able to claw their way to a win despite being without four of their five starting offensive linemen by the end of the game, winning by a score of 21-17.
Here are five takeaways from the win as the Vikings now head into a much-needed bye week before they host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7.
1. A Perfectly Executed Two-Minute Drill
The Vikings found themselves playing from behind for much of the second half as both offenses struggled to put points on the board.
Trailing 17-14 with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Minnesota got the ball with one more chance to take the lead. The two-minute drill ended in success as Kevin O’Connell did a masterful job of scheming players open, and Carson Wentz took advantage with perfect execution.
The drive ended with a gutsy throw along the sideline to Jordan Addison that Wentz perfectly fit between two Browns defenders where only Addison could catch it. After a nine-yard run by Jordan Mason to begin the drive, Wentz went 9-for-9 passing the ball for 71 yards and the 12-yard touchdown to Addison.
It was a huge drive that carried the Vikings to a 3-2 record heading into their bye rather than 2-3.
2. Another Great Day for Mr. Wright
No football fan wants their team’s punter to be on the field more than necessary, but Ryan Wright certainly had a major impact on the Vikings’ win this weekend.
Mr. Wright has had a great bounce back season in 2025, and his Week 5 performance may have been his best yet. On five punts, he averaged a fantastic 57.2 yards per punt, including a ridiculous 77-yard punt that was placed beautifully and downed at Cleveland’s two-yard-line. It marked a new career high for the Vikings punter.
In total, Wright pinned the Browns inside their own 20 twice, bringing his total to six on 24 punts this season. Going up against a rookie QB in Dillon Gabriel making his first NFL start, the Vikings needed to make things as tough as possible on him by giving him poor field position, and that is exactly what Wright did throughout the entire game.
3. Will Reichard’s Perfect Season Ends
Heading into Week 5, Will Reichard had made all eight of his field goal attempts, including a Soldier Field record 59-yarder and a Vikings franchise record 62-yarder.
As a result, when Reichard trotted out onto the field to attempt a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter to tie the game at 17, every Vikings fan assumed it would be an easy kick. Then, Vikings fans were reminded that they are indeed still Vikings fans, and no kick can be an assumed make as Reichard pushed it well to the right of the uprights.
It was Reichard’s only field goal attempt of the day, and luckily, it didn’t come back to bite the Vikings as Wentz led the masterful touchdown drive at the end of the game. To Reichard’s credit, he did hit all three extra points, meaning he is now 11-for-11 on those attempts this season.
4. Strange Absence from Jordan Addison
Many Vikings fans likely were confused when the offense trotted out onto the field in the first quarter, and Jordan Addison was nowhere to be seen for the entire first 15 minutes of game time. As it turns out, Addison’s absence was a “coaches decision” rather than any sort of injury.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN clarified after the game that Addison was held out of the first quarter because he missed a team walk through earlier in the week.
Addison certainly made up for any mistakes made throughout the week with five catches for 41 yards and the game-winning touchdown reception.
5. The Bye Week Couldn’t Come at a Better Time
The Vikings arguably need a bye week more than any other team in the NFL at this point. They have many key players down because of injuries, and there were more scares on Sunday when Jordan Mason was slow to get up after taking a big hit. Then, Christian Darrisaw exited the game, but it was revealed that it was due to him reaching his snap limit as part of his ACL recovery.
While that part is semi-good news, it also meant the Vikings finished the game with four out of five spots on the offensive line being filled by backups, including multiple third-stringers. Will Fries was the only starter to remain on the field.
When Week 7 arrives, the Vikings could have names like J.J. McCarthy, Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, Aaron Jones, and Donovan Jackson back in the lineup. Minnesota will need all of them as they begin a four-week stretch that includes facing the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via ESPN and Pro Football Reference.
