Everything Changes for the Vikings after the Browns Game
Kevin O’Connell and his Minnesota Vikings will battle Kevin Stefanki’s Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and O’Connell better enjoy the tryst because it’s the last “easy” one for a while.
On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings take on the Cleveland Browns in London, England. Win, lose, or draw, everything changes after that game.
The landscape of the Vikings’ schedule will fundamentally change after this weekend: out with the games against mediocre, beatable opponents, in with monsters-of-rock opponents like the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, and Detroit Lions.
The Vikings’ Schedule Takes a Brutal Turn in about 3 Weeks
On October 19th, the schedule is no longer sunshine and rainbows.
London Marks Final “Easy” Game for Vikings
Minnesota is a 3.5-point favorite this Sunday against the Browns, and then that’s pretty much it for weeks. The purple team will fill an underdog status thereafter — pretty much indefinitely.
The Browns, though, in the meantime, are conquerable, especially with reports Tuesday that Cleveland will trot out quarterback Dillon Gabriel for his first-ever start. The game is more than winnable for Minnesota, yet after that, fasten your seatbelt.
Murderer’s Row in Week 7 and Beyond
After the bye, here’s the purple team’s docket:
- Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 8: at Los Angeles Chargers (TNF)
- Week 9: at Detroit Lions
- Week 10: vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears
- Week 12: at Green Bay Packers
- Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks
- Week 14: vs. Washington Commanders
- Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys (TNF)
- Week 16: at New York Giants
- Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions (TNF, XMas)
- Week 18: vs. Green Bay Packers
Only two easy games are present, and even they have caveats. The first? At home against the Bears. Ask any Vikings fan who’s been around for at least a decade or so, and she’ll tell you that no game against Chicago is ever considered a cakewalk when heading into it. It’s the nature of the division rivalry.
Then, on paper, the Giants should be beatable, but they have now inserted Jaxson Dart into the lineup. Depending on his development, the Giants may not play like damn fools in December.
So, in reality — no easy games. Those all took place in Week 5 and earlier.
Heal from Injuries by Week 7
Concurrently, Minnesota must heal from an unholy slew of injuries affecting nearly every position on the depth chart. The defensive secondary is in good shape after Harrison Smith returned to the lineup, but basically everywhere else on the roster has a notable injury sidelining a player.
Early-season bye weeks are often met with eye-rolls from fans, but this year, the bye will arrive at the perfect time.
There’s a decent chance that Minnesota will have players like Donovan Jackson, Blake Cashman, and perhaps Brian O’Neill and Ryan Kelly back for the Week 7 clash with the world champion Eagles.
J.J. McCarthy Time?
Oh, and don’t forget the man at the top of the ticket.
Ironically, McCarthy’s return from a high ankle sprain might directly align with the beginning of murderer’s row. McCarthy will reportedly practice a bit this week and then use the bye to get right.
Minnesota needs McCarthy in the lineup for his development. He already missed his rookie season; he can’t miss a majority of his second without catching whiffs of the “bust” label.
McCarthy’s last outing in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons went terribly, but he won’t always play like a chump. He might just see the lineup again when the season hits the nitty-gritty, starting in Week 7.
Browns-Vikings Picks
Sportsnaut‘s Matt Johnson picked Minnesota to prevail this week over Cleveland 17-13 and wrote, “Football fans in London will get to witness two quarterbacks with awful decision-making when pressured taking on two of the best pass rushes in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns defense allows the lowest yards-per-play average (4.1) in the NFL, while the Vikings rank top six in sack rate, third-down defense, and yards per drive (22.6).”
“Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz will likely both throw an interception in this game, so whichever defense generates the most takeaways might be the deciding factor. In a tight game, the offense with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson should make enough plays to pull out the victory.”
Minnesota is expected to win by three or four points in London this weekend and will almost certainly be an underdog against Philadelphia, barring an unforeseen injury to quarterback Jalen Hurts in the next two weeks.
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