Vikings Need a New Positive from London Action
The Minnesota Vikings will return to London on October 6, 2024, and will play at the same venue they last appeared in overseas. Tottenham Stadium will host Kevin O’Connell’s club against the New York Jets, and despite a win last time they were in the building, a more positive narrative would be welcomed.
Vikings Need a New Positive from London Action
Playing overseas, the Minnesota Vikings have established a 3-0 franchise record. Kevin O’Connell experienced success in his first trip, beating the New Orleans Saints 28-25 on October 2, 2022. En route to a 13-win season with O’Connell looking like one of the best new hires across the sport, there was a bit of a sour taste left from that game.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the newly installed general manager, used his first-draft pick on Georgia safety Lewis Cine. The talented hitter never got off the ground for Minnesota, though, and suffered a serious injury during the last London tilt. He was left overseas with the team, flying home to be treated for the gruesome injury, and it’s possible that moment altered the trajectory of his career.
Heading into 2024, Cine may not make the trip to London this time around, as he could be a roster casualty for Minnesota. Passed over by players like Cam Bynum and Josh Mettellus, there isn’t a clear path to a roster spot for the former first-round pick. Adofo-Mensah may have to determine that cutting bait is best for all involved, but that would make an already shaky draft class look that much worse.
While it’s great that the Vikings have yet to lose on foreign soil, it would be awesome to bring home some sort of new narrative to wipe away the injury fears from last time abroad. The Vikings may find themselves in position to debut J.J. McCarthy when they face the Jets, or Sam Darnold could light up his former employer.
Justin Jefferson will also be a handful of weeks into his shiny new extension, and a big showing could be something for the record books if that is the path they go down. Ultimately, the victories matter, but bringing a bit of positivity back home from a place that saw such an unfortunate situation play out during their last trip would be a nice added bonus for Minnesota.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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