The Viking Age
FanSided

Week 8 Ups and Downs: Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns

By Adam Carlson

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: Adam Thielen #19 of the Minnesota Vikings rushes against Briean Boddy-Calhoun #20 of the Cleveland Browns during the NFL International Series match between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium on October 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: Adam Thielen #19 of the Minnesota Vikings rushes against Briean Boddy-Calhoun #20 of the Cleveland Browns during the NFL International Series match between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium on October 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 29: Adam Thielen #19 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates scoring a touchdown during the NFL International Series match between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium on October 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 29: Adam Thielen #19 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates scoring a touchdown during the NFL International Series match between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium on October 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) /

Overall impression vs Cleveland

To be honest, it didn’t look good early on. The Minnesota Vikings throwing an interception that Cleveland was able to turn into a rushing touchdown and then needing to punt on the next drive set a bad tone.

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That kind of feeling lasted through the first half of the game. Thankfully, that’s when the offense started clicking and the defense was able to start getting regular stops. Once the points started piling on, it was more than Kizer and the Browns could handle.

While the Vikings defense struggled against the run, they were stout against the pass. That continued as Minnesota built a lead and forced the Browns to take to the air in hopes of staying in the game.

Some big plays from Adam Thielen, Linval Joseph, and Jerick McKinnon were key in putting this game out of reach. But the secondary, even without Andrew Sendejo, showed just how tough of a unit they can be for opposing quarterbacks.

As a whole, fans should be happy with this performance. While it wasn’t a convincing win that would have been a great statement, it’s a strong victory on the road at a time that the team needed to to be tough.

Next: Barr responds to Rodgers' criticism

The Minnesota Vikings have a bye in Week 9, meaning the team will return in Week 10 with a game on the road against the Washington Redskins where they will look to tighten their grip on their position NFC North.

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