The adjustment Kevin O'Connell must make to have success against the Browns

The ball needs to be out of Carson Wentz's hands quickly on Sunday to keep Cleveland's pass rush at bay.

Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) looks downfield during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers during an NFL International Series game at Croke Park. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Vikings' injury-ravaged offensive line is in over its head against the Browns' fearsome defensive line on Sunday. That's just the reality of the matter.

Alongside starters Christian Darrisaw and Will Fries, Minnesota will be playing a struggling backup at right tackle (Justin Skule), a center who has never played that position before (Blake Brandel), and an undrafted rookie left guard making his first NFL start (Joe Huber). That's a glaring mismatch against Myles Garrett, Maliek Collins, Mason Graham, and the rest of Cleveland's defensive front.

This is the group that will be facing Myles Garrett, Maliek Collins, and Mason Graham on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/vaMNiKNIHd

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 3, 2025

That doesn't mean all hope is lost for the Vikings' offense. What it does mean is that Kevin O'Connell needs to make a major adjustment to the game plan and the way he calls the offense at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The adjustment

The strategic focus for the Vikings has to be the quick passing game. The vast majority of Carson Wentz's dropbacks need to be designed for him to get the ball out quickly. O'Connell is known for a pure progression system that often features long-developing routes that can lead to explosive plays when the quarterback has time in the pocket, but those need to be few and far between on Sunday.

If Wentz can't take the snap and immediately fire the ball to his first read, he might have time to progress to his second option or maybe his third. But it has to happen quickly. And if his internal clock gets into the 2.5 to 3-second range, he's going to have to be ready to check the ball down or throw it at someone's feet and move on to the next play. What can't happen is Wentz holding onto the ball, trying to find someone open downfield, and then taking sacks or turning the ball over.

To his credit, O'Connell has already started to make this adjustment over the last couple weeks. Wentz has averaged 2.63 seconds before throwing across his two starts, which is notably down from J.J. McCarthy's 3.08 seconds over the first two games. McCarthy was sacked nine times on 55 dropbacks (16.4 percent). Wentz has been sacked nine times on 80 dropbacks (11.3 percent). That's an improvement, but it's still not good enough — and that falls on both O'Connell and his quarterback.

It can be done

The Vikings need to get closer to the extreme quick game approach that Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers took against their defense last week. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer averaged just 2.17 seconds to throw in that game, which is absurdly low. For the season, Rodgers' 2.48 mark is the lowest in the league among QBs with at least 50 dropbacks.

In that same game, Wentz came out firing the ball quickly to Justin Jefferson on the Vikings' opening drive. But that approach waned throughout a game where he was sacked six times and threw a pair of deflected interceptions. At times, the sacks were caused by Wentz not seeing an open receiver underneath or simply getting rid of the football. Other times, downfield routes took too long to develop and Wentz didn't have an obvious checkdown answer in front of him.

Another good example of how to beat a fearsome pass rush came on Thursday Night Football in the 49ers' upset win over the Rams. San Francisco backup quarterback Mac Jones averaged 2.33 seconds to throw and had an average depth of target of less than seven yards. He completed 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns to Christian McCaffrey and a crew of backup pass-catchers. He was only sacked once. The Vikings don't have McCaffrey, but they have plenty of weapons who can be dangerous with the ball in their hands on quick-developing routes.

Vikings gotta try to make Carson Wentz’s passing chart look like this on Sunday. Quick game will be key. Hold the ball for more than 2.5 seconds and the Browns will probably feast. https://t.co/IqYpMaX8rI

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 3, 2025

The Vikings are probably going to struggle to run the ball with Jordan Mason on Sunday. The Browns have allowed a league-low 2.7 yards per rush and are third in the league in opponent rushing success rate. They had some trouble with an elite speed back in Jahmyr Gibbs last week, but they've held Chase Brown, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and David Montgomery to a combined 108 yards on 57 carries (1.89 YPC).

O'Connell still has to try to run the ball. But the key for the Vikings is almost certainly going to be the quick passing game. If they can dink and dunk their way up the field, they can limit the effectiveness of the Browns' run defense and pass rush. It also creates the opportunity for chunk gains if Minnesota's weapons can make someone miss after the catch.

The Vikings need to find a way to stay out of clear passing downs like third and long, which also means avoiding offensive penalties as much as possible. And even if they do get into third and long, it might be better to throw a quick pass, punt, and trust their defense than to try a long-developing pass concept that could lead to a disastrous strip-sack.

With the Vikings' defense going up against Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel in his first career start, the offense might only need 17 or 20 points to win a game with a remarkably low over/under. The path to get there has to revolve around quick passes and limiting negative plays.

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