It is a repeat of the 2017 showdown at Twickenham, when the Vikings won 33-16 after an enthralling encounter.
That was the Browns’ only previous trip to London to date, though the Vikings have been here four times before, beating a New York Jets team led by Aaron Rodgers 23-17 12 months ago.
Kevin McConnell’s side are making NFL history this week as the first team ever to play international games in consecutive weeks in two different countries, having come up agonisingly short with a valiant late comeback attempt as they were beaten 24-21 by Rodgers’ Pittsburgh Steelers at Dublin’s Croke Park last weekend in the first-ever regular-season game to be held in Ireland.
That loss dropped the injury-hit Vikings to 2-2 and down to third place in the tough NFC North following wins over the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals and another loss to the Atlanta Falcons, with a hugely difficult run coming up after their week six bye against the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has again been ruled out as he continues to nurse an ankle injury suffered in week two, with veteran back-up Carson Wentz drawing another tough match-up against a ferocious Browns defence marshalled by Myles Garrett who will want to reassert some dominance after giving up 34 points in Detroit last time out.
The 1-3 Browns need to kick-start their offence quickly having stunned the Green Bay Packers to go along with those losses to the Lions, Ravens and Bengals, benching 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco this week and handing over the signal-calling reins to rookie Dillon Gabriel, the third-round draft pick out of Oregon who will be making his first NFL start in London. Shedeur Sanders remains in reserve.
Maiden start: Dillon Gabriel has replaced Joe Flacco as the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns
Getty Images
Vikings vs Browns start time
The Vikings and Browns kick off the 2025 NFL London Games series at 2:30pm BST on Sunday afternoon, with the contest taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
That is 8:30am in Minnesota and 9:30am in Cleveland.
How to watch Vikings vs Browns
TV channel: In the UK, Sunday’s game is being broadcast live via Sky Sports’ dedicated NFL channel and free-to-air on Channel 5’s NFL Big Game Day.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the action live online via the Sky Go app. It is also available through the 5 on-demand service, plus via NFL Game Pass on DAZN.
