An essential matchup in Week 5? Why defeating the Browns is so important for the Vikings
At this early stage of the season, it’s difficult to declare any game a must-win, but Sunday’s Vikings vs. Browns matchup in London may be as near as it gets. The Vikings are 2-2, having squandered winnable games against the Falcons and Steelers to go with a late rally in Chicago and a blowout win against the Bengals. Based on their performance thus far, that seems like a fair record. A faltering Minnesota offense has scored six points or less after three quarters in three of their last four games. Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy each won their first start before losing the next.
Because of the opponent on Sunday and Minnesota’s schedule following their Week 6 bye, this game feels almost like a must-win for the Vikings. Through the first month, the Browns’ offensive has been among the worst in the NFL, and they are currently 1-3. Joe Flacco, 40, has now been benched, and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel will start against Brian Flores’ defense this weekend for the first time in his career. It seems like a difficult task for a youngster making his starting debut to take on Flores’ special system in a neutral-site match.
The Vikings and their injured offensive line could lose this game because Cleveland’s defense is so formidable. In Week 1, Myles Garrett and company came very close to defeating the Bengals at full strength. In Week 3, they shocked the Packers 13–10. However, the Browns also suffered 24 point losses to the Ravens and Lions, placing them fourth in football with a -46 point difference.
In an unusually low over/under total, the Vikings are 3.5-point favorites. The Vikings need to find a way to make a few more plays on both sides of the ball than Cleveland does since this game is predicted to be a defensive slugfest. The Vikings’ problems from last week’s loss to the Steelers—turnovers and penalties—will be crucial. There is hardly much room for error.
Going 1-3 in that four-game stretch would leave the Vikings at 4-5, which isn’t ideal but isn’t a death sentence if they can reach 3-2. They would be in a strong position if they went 2-2 or better. To feel as though they are still in the running, the Vikings would need to split those four games if they are 2-3.
Even if the Vikings lose at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, the season will still be alive. But considering what’s ahead, it might feel that way. “We have to win at the end of the day,” stated Justin Jefferson. And that’s the primary goal. Without a doubt, we need to get past last week’s unpleasant flavor. After witnessing the movie and the various things we’ve released, we frequently injure ourselves. We have so been concentrating on that this week, simply making sure that we keep the number of turnovers and penalties to a minimum and that everyone is in agreement.”