Vikings Go Overseas For 2 Brutal Games Vs. Steelers, Browns

The Minnesota Vikings have made multiple moves in the offseason that should allow them to put a stronger and more complete team on the field in 2025 than they did a year ago when they finished with a 14-3 record.

The biggest question mark appears to be at quarterback where talented but untested J.J. McCarthy will step into the breech. He will attempt to show that he is ready for the position and can help the Vikings take the step that head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah anticipate.

McCarthy and all his teammates should be concentrating on the upcoming season and the growth it will take to surpass the Detroit Lions and stay ahead of the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in the NFC North. But there are key distractions that will likely take away from their ability to focus on improving.

Start with the announcement of the NFL’s international schedule. The Vikings will play back-to-back games in Ireland and England on September 28 and October 5. They are listed as the visitors when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin and the Cleveland Browns in London,

This trip will now be taking up space in the minds of the Vikings coaching staff and the players. It is a major distraction from this point forward until the trip is completed and the team is back in the United States.

The fact that the Vikings are 4-0 in previous games on English soil is a positive, but only slightly. This is a two-week trip to two different countries. No team has ever done this. The Jacksonville Jaguars have played back-to-back games in England – but they are a team that has been struggling in both the standings and to gain a following.

The Vikings are on the cusp of putting a great football team on the field and they have a huge following around the United States and internationally.

The Vikings need their untested quarterback to concentrate on O’Connell’s playbook and reading defenses. That’s what his focus needs to be on. McCarthy should not be worrying about the international two-game road trip.

Steelers and Vikings will play in Dublin in Week 5

Team president Mark Wilf sees the trip as an honor and a positive for the franchise. His statement after the back-to-back games were announced only talks about the prestige it brings to the team – particularly the first game in the doubleheader against Steelers.

“Playing in Ireland’s first-ever NFL game is an opportunity to introduce new fans to the Minnesota Vikings and help the league continue to make the game of football more accessible globally,” Wilf said in a statement. “To do so against a storied franchise like the Pittsburgh Steelers adds a unique challenge that makes this even more special. We are honored to be selected for this historic game and will be anxious to see what promises to be an electric game day environment in Croke Park.”

If there is one positive about this trip it’s that both are considered road games so the Vikings will get their full complement of eight home games. The Vikings were credited with playing nine home games last year because their Week 5 game in London against the New York Jets – a 23-17 victory – was considered a Minnesota home game.

Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell are likely to spin this trip into something positive, but it is nothing but a distraction for the participants. It’s one thing to get on a jet and fly to play a road game in Chicago or Detroit. It’s quite another to get everybody’s passport and international documents together and deal with the hassle of going overseas and staying there for 10 days or more while trying to compete in the NFL’s toughest division.

Even though some of the players and coaches may appreciate the opportunity of going across the Atlantic, every player and coach will be taken out of their normal routines. This is bound to have an impact on their mindset and ability to concentrate on individual assignments.

Long-suffering Vikings fans hope it won’t keep their talented team from reaching its full potential.