Vikings not underestimating the Browns, despite their winless record
By Adam Patrick
The Minnesota Vikings’ Week 8 matchup is against a Cleveland Browns team that has yet to win a single game this season.
Only once, since 1972, has an NFL team gone winless during a full, 16-game season. So it is pretty much guaranteed that each team in the league will win at least one game a year.
With the Cleveland Browns currently sitting at 0-7, the Minnesota Vikings are hoping that this is not the week that their opponent is able to pick up their first win of the 2017 season. Despite the fact that they are 5-2, sitting atop first place in the NFC North, and favored to win by almost 10 points on Sunday, the Vikings are not thinking about this week’s matchup with the Browns being anything close to a guaranteed win.
On Thursday, Minnesota running back Latavius Murray explained the team’s current mindset heading into their game against Cleveland.
"“You can’t overlook any team in the NFL, regardless of their record. We know we’re going to get their best, just as we do (with) any team, any other week. Just don’t overlook them and play the way we know how to play.”"
Murray’s thoughts about the Browns were similar to what Vikings quarterback Case Keenum emphasized on Wednesday.
"“I think we’ve got enough veterans in this room that know that every week in this league is so important and everybody in this league is really, really good. You can’t compare wins and losses, who played who, anybody can beat anybody on any given day.You have to come out and you have to be your best because the Browns are a really good football team. Their record may not show that, but defensively, from what I’ve seen, they’re a really talented group over there.” Minnesota Vikings The Viking Age 0d - 6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings history More headlines around FanSided: 1d - Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North 1d - Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take 1d - 6 Vikings who (maybe) won't make the 53-man roster in 2023 2d - Which teams could be drafting a quarterback next year? 2d - Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022 More News at The Viking Age"
There are still a number of players from Minnesota’s 2016 team that began the year 5-0 and then went on to miss the playoffs after losing eight of their final 11 games. So there are plenty of players on the Vikings’ current roster who know that absolutely nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the NFL.
It was right around this time last year when Minnesota was 5-1 and heading into a matchup with a Chicago Bears team that had only one win in their first seven games. But records did not matter one bit that day as the Bears managed to upset the Vikings by a score of 20-10.
This year, the current vibe around this team definitely seems much different than it was a season ago. Minnesota has truly been going through the schedule with a week-to-week frame of mind and it has paid off so far.
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As for Week 8, the Vikings just hope that their approach to this season continues to work and leads to a win over the Browns. Otherwise, it could be a very, very long plane ride back to Minnesota.