Vikings Showed Survive and Advance Mentality in London
The Cleveland Browns are not a good team, and the franchise has not been in a good place for years. They started new rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel for the first time on Sunday, and the Minnesota Vikings weathered that storm. Now with both ends of the repeat international games behind them, they can finally breathe.
The Minnesota Vikings needed to survive a rash of injuries to advance against the Cleveland Browns, and they did just that on Sunday.
No, the schedule does not get easier, and it’s an absolute gauntlet ahead. The Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champs, and matchups with the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens aren’t cake walks either. That said, a bye week is coming at the most opportune time.
The Vikings Eked One Out in England
When the schedule came out, no one in Minnesota loved the idea of a Week 6 bye. Fast forward to where things sit now, and a team that just started three backup linemen, including a guy who had never before played center, and you can bet everyone involved is thankful for the time off.
It’s uncertain how much healthier the Vikings get over the course of the next two weeks. It should give Christian Darrisaw and Harrison Smith a chance to resume a full workload. It may provide the rest that Brian O’Neill needs to return to the starting lineup. The expectation is that Donovan Jackson will be back. He should be joined by Michael Jurgens, and Ryan Kelly will have his time cut short on injured reserve.
Realistically, a four-point win against the Cleveland Browns is not an ideal result. However, not only did Minnesota cover the 3.5-point spread, but they improved to 3-2 on the season. A 4-1 start was the hopeful outcome, but given the number of injuries, it’s hard to be disappointed falling just one victory short of that.
Minnesota faced adversity in London. Their starting lineup was dealt a significant blow in Ireland, and there was little time to regroup. The team did what they could with what they had, though, and they showed up to get the result that they needed.
There aren’t any style points in the NFL. The Vikings wouldn’t have earned them on Sunday, but the victory was emblematic of a survive and advance mentality.
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