Vikings Make Scheduling History
The Minnesota Vikings have made history.
The Vikings became the first to do it.
After various rumors throughout the last few weeks, the gossip was true, and Kevin O’Connell’s team will play back-to-back games overseas, taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, in Week 4 and the Cleveland Browns in London the following weekend.
The Vikings are the first team to fire up two games in different countries across the pond in consecutive weeks.
It’s Official: The Vikings in Dublin and London
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday, one day before the NFL’s formal schedule release: “Minnesota will become the first NFL team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries, facing the Steelers in the first-ever regular-season NFL game in Dublin, Ireland, on Sunday, Sept. 28. The Vikings then will travel to London, England, to play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 5.”
The schedule “leak” process is fairly intense in the month of May, and the leakers nailed this one. The rumor mill suggested for a while that the Vikings could end up with this duo in Dublin and London. They were not wrong.
Versus the Steelers in Ireland
Minnesota will take on Pittsburgh as a road opponent on September 28th, Ireland’s first venture in the NFL regular season. The Vikings will face an old friend in Mike Tomlin, who defensively coordinated the purple team before taking the top job in Pittsburgh about two decades ago.
There’s also the matter of “you know who.”
Before too long, the Steelers will likely get down to brass tacks and finally sign Aaron Rodgers, meaning Minnesota will face its old nemesis one final time — after toppling Rodgers and the New York Jets in London last year.
Some, including this website, believed Jets-Vikings last year was Minnesota’s last brush with Rodgers, but that theory was false.
There’s also the storyline of Rodgers wanting to join O’Connell’s team this offseason. Rodgers campaigned to play in Minnesota for a one-year sprint at the Super Bowl, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah declined, opting for the start of the J.J. McCarthy era.
So, the quarterback with the Irish last name will take on a long-time purple foe, Rodgers, across the pond in Ireland.
Against the Browns in England
Minnesota and Cleveland battled in London during the 2017 season, with the Vikings prevailing in that almost storybook season. The Browns were still “the Browns” at the time, and this squad will look different.
Cleveland has a bevy of quarterback options to choose from, including Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel.
In fact, Week 5 might be prime territory to start a new quarterback if Flacco, for example, struggles early in the season.
Minnesota is 12-5 (.705) all-time against Cleveland.
Two Roads Games with Quasi-Home Crowds
Some fans bemoaned the international doubleheader, solely because at Pittsburgh and at Cleveland represented somewhat affordable opportunities to see the Vikings on the road. Travelling to Ireland and England is obviously not cheap, so the news wasn’t necessarily met with 100% approval.
Still, Minnesota will enjoy two quasi-home crowds in Dublin and London, and if those games remained in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, the club would have some semblance of homefield advantage whatsoever.
The Vikings have never lost an international game, tabulating a 4-0 record over the years. The team even played an exhibition game in England nearly 30 years ago. The record would be 5-0 if one counted that game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Wilfs on International Play
Owner Mark Wilf said about the European doubleheader: “Playing in Ireland’s first-ever NFL game is an opportunity to introduce new fans to the Minnesota Vikings and help the league continue to make the game of football more accessible globally.”
“To do so against a storied franchise like the Pittsburgh Steelers adds a unique challenge that makes this even more special. We are honored to be selected for this historic game and will be anxious to see what promises to be an electric game day environment in Croke Park.”
The franchise has become a global darling.
Wilf concluded, “Our experiences in London have always been memorable, so to return in 2025 as the first team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries was something we could not pass up.”
“UK fans have a history of showing up and embracing the Minnesota Vikings, creating what often feels like a homefield environment, and we are hopeful that is what we see again in 2025.”
The full schedule will drop on Wednesday, though VikingsTerritory will likely publish it before then.
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