The Cleveland Browns may be catching the Minnesota Vikings at a good time when the teams meet on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Injuries have hit Minnesota’s offensive line, and the Vikings will be without three starters in center Ryan Kelly, right tackle Brian O’Neill, and left guard Donovan Jackson, along with backup center Michael Jurgens.
That leaves Blake Brandel making his NFL debut at center, and undrafted rookie Joe Huber making his first start at left guard.
The Browns will
counter with a defense that is No. 1 in the NFL in pass-rush win rate, which means Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz, who has been sacked nine times in his two starts, could be in for a long afternoon.
If Minnesota’s backups are struggling, that could leave offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw having to deal with Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett one-on-one, which makes it a matchup to watch, according to Pro Football Focus:
Garrett remains among the NFL’s very best few defenders, with his 92.1 overall PFF grade sitting fourth among qualifiers and his 93.0 PFF pass-rushing grade the second-best in the league. The Browns star has secured five or more pressures in all four games this year, including a whopping four pressures on 19 matchups against Taylor Decker in Week 4.
After being sidelined to begin the season with a knee injury, Darrisaw has returned with a vengeance. The Vikings tackle has posted a 66.2 PFF pass-blocking grade in two games, allowing four pressures and no sacks across 79 pass-blocking snaps.
With 147 of Garrett’s 183 snaps in 2025 coming along the defense’s right perimeter, he and Darrisaw should battle consistently in this international matchup. Darrisaw’s ability to hold up against arguably the league’s best pass rusher will prove critical along an injured Minnesota offensive line — and in a duel between two of the NFL’s premier defenses so far.
One area where the Vikings may be able to exploit Cleveland’s defense, if Wentz has time to throw, could come on intermediate throws to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, one of the league’s best and a part of the field where the Browns have struggled this season, according to PFF:
Justin Jefferson ranked tied for second in the NFL last season with 54 targets on intermediate throws (10–19 yards downfield), and he’s reasserting his dominance in that area again in 2025. He leads the league with 11 receptions for 195 yards on intermediate targets this season. The Browns have faced only 18 intermediate throws so far — third-fewest in the league — but they’ve struggled when tested, allowing a 72.0% completion rate and a 146.3 passer rating, both bottom-two marks league-wide.
Cleveland’s defensive line has an edge on Minnesota’s depleted offensive line on paper, but they need to take advantage of that and get after Wentz as much as possible. And if Wentz does have time to throw, the secondary needs to keep an eye on Jefferson, especially on those intermediate routes that he favors so much.
Do that, and there is a good chance the Browns will be flying home to celebrate just their second Victory Monday of the season.
