Vikings Head Coach Addresses Tuesday’s Bombshell
The Minnesota Vikings will make history this fall, travelling to Europe for back-to-back showdowns in Dublin and London.
Kevin O’Connell has no qualms whatsoever about playing overseas.
In Week 4, the Vikings play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland — a bombshell by itself. Seven days later, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s team will travel to London, England, for a date with the Cleveland Browns, a team it took on eight years ago in the same city.
The Vikings will become the first team ever to play international games in consecutive weeks in different countries.
Kevin O’Connell on Back-to-Back Games in Europe
Why did this happen? Well, it seems like the Vikings requested it.
In addition to the Vikings owners endorsing the two-game trip, O’Connell wasn’t shy Tuesday about explaining the perks.
“The two-game trip gives us an unbelievable opportunity to take our team on the road, get away from a lot of the day-to-day things that may be pulling players in any other direction,” O’Connell told Irish media.
“From a football side of it, both opponents that we’ll play have very high-quality home atmospheres in their home stadiums here in the United States. So to get to play them not at their home stadium — tough division, the AFC North tends to be year-in and year-out — we found that to be a potential bonus for our football team, as well as getting the opportunity to have a trip together where we can continue to build our team, our camaraderie.”
Minnesota played in London last year, defeating the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets. They’re heading right back over the pond.
O’Connell added, “It was kind of a joint decision in the conjunction with the NFL. The way I looked at it is, from a standpoint of it being a positive opportunity — from both a football side and a business side for our organization, we’re very proud of our organization.”
“We do have some star power. Justin Jefferson, if international fans don’t know about him yet, they certainly will very soon. Getting the opportunity to see the best wide receiver — on the planet in my opinion — is a great start to getting to know the Minnesota Vikings.”
The Extreme Non-Road-Game Perk
When one lets the international news settle for a moment, Minnesota’s Week 4 and 5 docket takes shape.
Had the Vikings played at Pittsburgh and at Cleveland, those contests would’ve featured normal hostile road crowds for O’Connell’s bunch. There was no “if” about it. It would’ve happened.
Playing the Steelers and Browns overseas eliminates the guaranteed homefield advantage for the other team, and in fact, hands Minnesota a backdoor homefield advantage.
The Vikings are a popular franchise in Europe and have never been the villain or booed in London.
One might argue that Minnesota added two extra home games.
Growing the Brand
Minnesota is already pretty damn idenfitable in NFL-speak around the world. This is the next chapter.
Ireland has never hosted an NFL regular season game, so to get operations off the ground, the Vikings will be front and center, perhaps even taking on the aforementioned Rodgers again. Rodgers has inhabited the Steelers’ rumor mill for months, and he might be the QB1 by then.
Regardless, appearing in two foreign games in as many weeks grows the purple brand. Unquestionably.
What about the Naysayers?
One faction of naysayers has the right to squeal. Vikings fans living in Ohio, Pennsylvania, or the immediately surrounding areas are the odd men and women out. They will not get to see their favorite team at an affordable price.
NFC teams visit AFC stadiums only once every eight years. The droughts between Vikings games in Cleveland and Pittsburgh will be mind-bogglingly vast.
Janik Eckardt on Dublin, London
At our affiliate website, Janik Eckardt, a European, weighed in on the scheduling bombshell, “The rumors have been out there for a few weeks, but they have been confirmed now. Kevin O’Connell’s Minnesota Vikings will head to Europe for not just one but two international games, and they will take place in two different countries in consecutive weeks.”
“The trip brings some advantages and some disadvantages. Fans from the Rust Belt who wanted to attend the games in Cleveland and Pittsburgh can’t be too happy about this, considering the Vikings only play there once every eight years.”
Minnesota has never lost an international game — 4-0.
Eckardt added, “On the flip side, European fans and Americans who missed out on the last trips in London now get another chance. From a football perspective, playing the Steelers and Browns in neutral sites instead of their home stadiums is not a bad outcome. The Vikings will suddenly have eight home games, seven on the road, and two on neutral ground.”
“In addition to that, playing a second game overseas should give the Vikings an advantage because they will already be acclimated to the time zone and avoid the long trip across the Atlantic, and just have to make the voyage from Dublin to London.”
The league will release the rest of the schedule on Wednesday night.
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