Vikings lean again on strong team chemistry to fuel clutch win despite adverse circumstances

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings trailed Cleveland by three points with 3:05 left in London to salvage an arduous road trip, with this season of high expectations at an unexpectedly early crossroad.

The circumstances were hardly ideal.

After beginning the game with three starting offensive linemen out — left guard Donovan Jackson, center Ryan Kelly and right tackle Brian O'Neill — their best blocker of all was sidelined down the stretch when left tackle Christian Darrisaw bowed out for the afternoon as a precaution with soreness in his surgically repaired knee.

Jackson's replacement was an undrafted rookie, Joe Huber, because Blake Brandel had to play center for the first time in his career in relief of Kelly's injured backup, Michael Jurgens. After Justin Skule switched from right tackle to left to fill in for Darrisaw, the Vikings sent 2024 sixth-round draft pick Walter Rouse into the deep end against a Browns defensive line that's one of the best in the NFL.

Versatile and reliable veteran running back Aaron Jones was out, too. Quarterback Carson Wentz, who joined the team about five weeks ago and suddenly found himself starting for the injured J.J. McCarthy, was fighting pain in his shoulder from a hard hit earlier in the game.

Leaning on the excellence of superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and a capable group of pass-catchers around him and letting coach Kevin O'Connell lead him with precisely the right play calls in the right moments, Wentz delivered by going 9 for 9 for 71 yards on the final drive with the go-ahead touchdown pass to Jordan Addison with 25 seconds remaining for a 21-17 victory over the Browns.

“I feel like this team didn’t flinch at all,” Jefferson said. “We continued to fight, and we continued to move forward.”

For all the questions about the Vikings (3-2) that are left to be answered after their much-needed bye week — from the development of McCarthy to the long-term prognosis for the long list of key players out with injuries — they showed again a hidden strength of being able to win close games in adverse conditions.

“You don’t win a game like that unless you are a very, very connected football team,” O'Connell told the players in the locker room at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

They fully realize that, too.

“In my brief time here, it’s a very unique group of guys in this locker room, and I mean that in a really good way,” Wentz said. “Everybody is so close."

Though the quarterbacks have changed, not to mention the blockers in front of them, the Vikings' offense under O'Connell's direction consistently has been able to generate productive possessions in clutch situations. Over four seasons since he was hired, the Vikings are 28-10 in games decided by eight points or fewer, the fourth-best winning percentage in NFL history among coaches with a minimum of 25 such contests.

The Vikings have scored touchdowns on all five of their drives after the third quarter that reached the red zone. They're averaging 6.65 yards a play in the fourth quarter, the second-best mark in the league, according to Sportradar data.

The defense has been dangerously vulnerable against the run in four of five games, with Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins the latest ball carrier to take advantage. Two injury-sidelined starters in the front seven, linebacker Blake Cashman and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, clearly have been missed.

The Vikings are tied for 24th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game and 22nd in rushing yards allowed per play.

Ryan Wright covered 286 yards on five punts, including a career-long 77-yard kick late in the third quarter that pinned the Browns on the 1-yard line after a holding penalty. That came with the Vikings trailing 17-14 after a three-and-out by the offense that followed Cleveland's go-ahead touchdown. Wright ranks fourth in the NFL with a net average of 45.5 yards per punt. The fourth-year player is 10th in the league with a gross average of 49.1 yards per attempt.

Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen has had a quiet start to his Vikings career, with only one tackle for loss and minimal quarterback pressure in five games despite playing 73% of the snaps, the most on the team among the three interior line positions.

The Vikings expect Jackson (wrist), Jurgens (hamstring) and McCarthy (ankle) to resume practicing next week, and O'Connell sounded optimistic on Monday about their post-bye availability. Cashman (hamstring) also will have his return window opened after hitting the four-game minimum on injured reserve.

Getting O'Neill (knee) or Van Ginkel (neck) back on the field for Week 7 appears far less certain. Kelly (concussion) is out indefinitely. Jones (hamstring) must miss at least one more game.

9 — The Vikings have at least two sacks in nine consecutive regular-season games, the longest such active streak in the league.

After the bye, the Vikings enter a daunting three-game stretch against three division leaders. They host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) on Oct. 19, hit the road on short rest to face the Los Angeles Chargers (3-2) on Oct. 25 and then visit the NFC North rival Detroit Lions (4-1) on Nov. 2.

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