Weather forecast vs. Browns could ruin Vikings plans on Saturday

Since they play more than half of their games indoors each year, the weather typically isn't as big of a factor for the Minnesota Vikings as it is for some other teams around the NFL. Well, for Saturday's preseason matchup against the Cleveland Browns, it seems like the weather could actually have a significant impact on how the Vikings perform.

According to Weather.com, thunderstorms are expected to begin in Cleveland around 12 p.m. CST and continue until about 9 p.m. CST. This means, at the very least, Minnesota's second exhibition game of the summer will likely be played in the rain against the Browns.

Since thunderstorms are in the forecast, it's also possible that the preseason contest between the Vikings and Browns on Saturday could experience delays and possibly even a cancellation if the league feels it's too unsafe for people to be inside the stadium.

Expected weather forecast vs. Cleveland Browns will make it much tougher for the Minnesota Vikings to evaluate players

For Minnesota and the rest of the teams in the NFL, the preseason is all about figuring out which players are good enough to keep on the roster for the upcoming regular season.

The Vikings have already played one preseason game this summer, and Saturday's contest in Cleveland will be their second. Then, in another week, on Saturday, August 24th, Minnesota will wrap up this year's preseason on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.

So, Minnesota really doesn't have much time left to evaluate some of the players who are currently on the roster bubble, and this evaluation process is going to be made even harder on Saturday if it has to be done in the rain.

Thanks to the rain, the footballs will become slick and likely result in more turnovers and dropped passes on Saturday. With this potential increase in turnover frequency, the Vikings are probably going to have to get creative with how they plan to evaluate their players on the field this weekend in order to make sure they pick the correct 53 players for their final 2024 roster.

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