Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns (NFL Week 5 - London Games 2025)
1ST QUARTER
8:15 ON THE CLOCK: The start of the game is full of action as the Vikings fumble the ball which ends in a Browns recovery. They use the ball well with runs from Quinshon Judkins on multiple plays to advance their drive. The drive eventually ends in a touchdown for Cleveland with rookie QB Dillon Gabriel throwing to Harold Fanning Jr. for the touchdown from close range. The perfect start for the first start for the rookie QB out of UCF.
2:36 ON THE CLOCK: Minnesota tied the score with a few minutes of the 1st quarter left. A steady drive with good catches from Justin Jefferson and a throw from Cam Akers on 1st & 10 from near the 40 yard line to Josh Oliver for the touchdown. The game was tied with both teams' first meaningful drives of the game. 7-7.
2ND QUARTER
0:13 ON THE CLOCK: The second quarter of the game was end to end with both teams unable to make their drives count and defences coming out on top to force their opponents back on both ends. However, just before half time the Browns were able to make it to the 31 yard line to get in field goal range with just over 10 seconds to go. Kicker Andre Szmyt put the ball between the sticks to give Cleveland a slender 7-10 lead going into the second half.
HALF TIME: MINNESOTA VIKINGS 7 - 10 CLEVELAND BROWNS
3RD QUARTER
12:35 ON THE CLOCK: A strong start to the second half for the Vikings as they had a 2nd & 10 on the 20 yard line. A hand off to RB Jordan Mason gives Minnesota another 1st down with 1st & GOAL to follow. A good run from Mason as he ran down the left side and was forced out of bounds near the 5 yard line. A couple of plays later the ball was given to Mason again as he forced his way through the Browns defence to put the Vikings in the lead. A well received touchdown in front of the London crowd with a lot of purple visible at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Vikings 14-10 Browns.
3:09 ON THE CLOCK: Cleveland looked to bounce back immediately with the next drive moving down past midfield and into Vikings territory. Continuous good running of the ball from Cleveland made their progress steady. The multiple runs from Judkins and Jerome Ford were the standouts from the drive as they ensured valuable yards were received on the drive. Despite the steady drive Cleveland had to wait until 3rd & GOAL to make a play. Rookie Dillon Gabriel was able to make another pinpoint pass into the chest of TE David Njoku, who caught the ball well for the touchdown. The lead once again swung in the direction of the Cleveland Browns 14-17.
1:49 ON THE CLOCK: Just as Minnesota wanted to continue their offensive momentum to take the lead again the defence of the Browns stopped them in their tracks. Back to back sacks from Alex Wright and Myles Garrett to Carson Wentz. The Vikings had to punt the ball back from their own 10 yard line. However, a good punt from Ryan Wright as his team mates were able to stop the ball on the 2 yard line to give the Browns the marginal start to their drive as the Vikings would have wanted.
4TH QUARTER
10:25 ON THE CLOCK: In the early stages of the 4th quarter the Browns were able to recover a fumble from the Vikings. Although they were not able to make it count as they had to punt the ball back to the Vikings shortly afterwards.
After the punt return the Vikings had the ball on 3rd down on their 25 yard line. Carson Wentz was able to pick out Justin Jefferson just past midfield with a stunning catch from the WR to keep the drive alive. He would have been away if it wasn't for the last ditch tackle from the Browns defender to keep him at bay just. Despite the good play from Jefferson, Wentz was unable to move the ball out on the next few downs and they were forced to go for the field goal. A field goal which was missed wide right of the posts by Kicker Will Reichard from the 51 yard attempt. The attempt to level the game was no good as the Vikings still trailed.
0:30 ON THE CLOCK: In a race against the clock, the Vikings moved the ball efficiently down the field. Great partnership plays from Carson Wentz and his receivers of TJ Hockenson and Justin Jefferson, who both played a part in the drive. Before another hand off to Jordan Mason got them further up the field also. The last play of the drive with 30 seconds left was in the hands of Carson Wentz. He shuffled to the right and threw the ball as soon as he saw the opportunity of WR Jordan Addison at the corner of the endzone. The receiver clutched the ball into his hands and dived into the endzone for the game winning touchdown.
A tremendous game between the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns in London to kick off the London games for 2025. A back and forth between both teams as it went down to the wire before the winning points were scored by the Vikings with just seconds to spare. A game played in front of over 61,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The first of 3 games to be played in London this year, with 2 at Tottenham and 1 at Wembley Stadium. A solid debut for the Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel, who was unfortunate to lose the game as it could have gone either way in the end. However, it seemed the experience of the likes of Carson Wentz, Justin Jefferson and TJ Hockenson came out on top this time for MInnesota and the Vikings.
FINAL SCORE: MINNESOTA VIKINGS 21 - 17 CLEVELAND BROWNS