Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) celebrates his interception against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings head to London, England, this week to take on the New York Jets. The UK-bound Vikings will look to extend two unbeaten runs in their Week 5 matchup.
The Vikings are 4-0 to start the 2024 season and are also 4-0 in games played in the UK. Extending both unbeaten runs as they go into a Week 6 bye would mark a perfect start to the season for the Vikings. In their way, Aaron Rodgers is a familiar foe. The 40-year-old quarterback now leads the Jets after a 17-year stint in Green Bay that ended in 2022. Rodgers revealed on the Pat McAfee show that his knee was swollen following the Broncos game on Sunday, which is something to watch.
The Jets have had a mixed start to the season. They were handled by San Francisco in Week 1 before beating New England and Tennessee, potentially two of the weaker teams in the league. Last week, they lost to Denver in a low-scoring affair and come into this week’s matchup with a 2-2 record. The Jets only have one previous game in the UK, where they lost to the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. This means they await their first win in an international game.
The Vikings head to London for the fifth time. The first time came back in 1983 when the Vikings beat the St. Louis Cardinals in a preseason/exhibition game. This was the first time an NFL game was played on British soil. Now, of course, the international series has become a regular fixture. There are multiple games in London annually, and the series is expanding yearly to include more countries like Germany, Canada, and Mexico.
Since the international series began, the Vikings have won all three games. First came the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013, then the Cleveland Browns in 2017, and finally the New Orleans Saints in 2022 – during Kevin O’Connell’s first season as Vikings head coach. Veteran safety Harrison Smith has played in all the previous international series games and will make it four on Sunday. Smith hasn’t managed an interception in any of the previous games. It would be nice if he could snag one in what will likely be his last London game.
There were four—and five-year gaps between the previous London games, but this time around, UK-based fans have only had to wait for two years to see their team again. I expected Vikings trips overseas to become more frequent once they were announced as being awarded the UK as part of the international home marketing initiative back in 2021—the Jets are also one of the teams who were awarded the UK.
The Vikings have worked hard to engage and expand the fanbase in the UK, and they are pushing the boat out this year with a full itinerary of events that starts on Wednesday and builds up to Sunday’s game.
Vikings legends coming over to meet fans is all part of the fun, with Jake Reed confirmed as making the trip. The game is one of the Vikings’ home games, and some home-based fans will understandably be disappointed to have lost a game to London. The Vikings’ ownership has shown a great commitment to embracing the Vikings’ presence in the UK, and that is going to continue.
Hopefully, we can all be rewarded with another win and end the weekend happy!