Inside The Vikings

Late TD pass from Carson Wentz leads Vikings to huge win over Browns

Jordan Addison, after being suspended in the first quarter, caught the game-winner.
Will Ragatz|
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Addison was suspended for the first quarter of Sunday's game by the Vikings' coaching staff for an undisclosed reason. He ended his day by catching the game-winning touchdown pass with 25 seconds left in Minnesota's 21-17 win over the Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Vikings had the ball, down 17-14, needing to put one drive together to leave London with a victory. Carson Wentz hit T.J. Hockenson a couple times, then connected with Justin Jefferson on an incredible leaping grab over Denzel Ward up the right sideline. And after a few more short passes, with the Browns out of timeouts, Wentz floated a perfect pass to Addison for the clutch go-ahead score.

The Browns still had a bit of time on the clock, but Jeff Okudah was able to tackle Jamari Thrash inbounds on the final play of the game, sealing the win for Minnesota.

And what a much-needed win it was for the Vikings, who move to 3-2 on the season and 5-0 in franchise history in games played in London. For much of the day, it looked like they weren't going to be able to overcome offensive line injuries, a couple key turnovers, more penalty issues, and struggles to stop the run. But their defense gave them a chance, and the offense stepped up when it mattered most.

Wentz completed 25 of 34 passes for 236 yards and the late TD. He briefly left with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder late in the first half, which meant Max Brosmer coming into the game to take a knee, but Wentz was able to return to action in the second half with a harness on his left shoulder.

Addison, after sitting out the whole first quarter, had five big catches for 41 yards. Jefferson caught seven passes for 123 yards, marking his second straight game over 120 yards receiving. Jordan Mason ran for a touchdown, and Cam Akers threw one to Josh Oliver on a trick play.

The Vikings committed seven penalties. They lost the turnover battle 2-0 on fumbles by both of their top two running backs, Mason and Zavier Scott. They allowed 110 rushing yards to Quinshon Judkins and two touchdown passes from Dillon Gabriel, as the Browns' rookies gave Brian Flores' defense some real trouble.

Down the stretch, the Vikings were playing four backup offensive linemen. In addition to the three that started the game, Walter Rouse was called upon because Christian Darrisaw hit his designated snap limit, as determined by the Vikings' coaching and medical staff.

The odds were stacked against the Vikings, but they managed to find a way to salvage a win out of their two-week international trip.

Game rewind

The game started on a less-than-ideal note for the Vikings. For the second straight week, Mason fumbled on Minnesota's first offensive series. Unlike last week, when he nullified a defensive touchdown by touching the ball while out of bounds, this one happened in the middle of the field and was recovered by the Browns. Cleveland then got Judkins going and marched down to take a 7-0 lead on a Gabriel touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr.

The Vikings had quite the answer, via a perfectly-executed trick play that saw Akers throw a touchdown pass to Oliver. It was the first career touchdown pass for Akers, the Vikings' third-string running back who played quarterback in high school.

After the 7-7 start, both offenses bogged down for a while. There were seven combined punts in the first half. The Browns were able to put together a drive late in the half and take a three-point lead into the break.

The Vikings came out of the locker room with an impressive 71-yard drive, capped by a Mason touchdown run, to take their first lead of the day. But the Browns came right back with a 69-yard drive that took eight whole minutes off the clock and resulted in Gabriel's second touchdown pass. Judkins was a major problem for Minnesota's defense on that drive.

Early in the fourth quarter, Scott lost a fumble. One possession later, the Vikings had an opportunity to tie the game but saw Will Reichard miss a 51-yard field goal wide right.

Then they got one more chance — and Wentz's heroics delivered a win.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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