The Minnesota Vikings landed in Ireland early on Friday morning. They had an afternoon practice at Sport Ireland, half an hour outside Dublin. They were 3,700 miles from the TCO Performance Center in Eagan and had experienced a six-hour time change.
Still, Kevin O’Connell said they had a typical Friday practice.
“The practice we just had would have been the same if we were back home at TCO,” he said. “Get a nice cup of coffee, get into meetings, and eventually the grass.”
Recently, the Vikings have begun playing games overseas regularly. In 2013, they played the Cleveland Browns in London, then returned to The Big Smoke in 2022 and 2024. The only difference in Ireland, aside from its location outside the United Kingdom, is that Minnesota lost.
“We’re into the uncharted territory now,” O’Connell said after the team arrived in London.
He wasn’t referring to the loss in Dublin, although it was the first international game they’ve lost. They’re 4-0 in London. However, that’s on a different schedule where they fly out on Thursday night, practice on Friday, and play on Sunday. Previously, the Vikings had taken short trips overseas to minimize the impact on their circadian rhythm, or internal clock.
“First time for us not winning,” said O’Connell. “But we’ve kind of transitioned…and it’s really now just a normal week process from here. We’re just not home.”
The current regime is 2-0 in London. However, they nearly lost to the New Orleans Saints with Alvin Kamara out and Andy Dalton under center, and Aaron Rodgers almost came back to beat them last year.
People often criticize international games for their randomness, which can lead gamblers to avoid them. However, the Vikings are starting to make Europe a home away from home. They’re staying at Hanbury Manor, the same place they were at last year, and they’re on a regular practice schedule without an international flight in between.
“We’ve been here before. We know the surroundings,” said O’Connell. “We know the practice field. A lot of the players are staying in the rooms they probably stayed in in 2022.”
The Vikings are the first NFL team to play two games in two different countries in the same year. Dublin was a new and unfamiliar experience for the Vikings.
Minnesota was technically the away team in 2022, but there were equal numbers of Saints and Vikings fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Meanwhile, Croke Park was full of Pittsburgh Steelers fans last week. It was also a grass field, and Tottenham has
“We had some guys slip here and there,” said O’Connell. “I know Justin [Jefferson] had a play where he might have been able to score if he can keep his feet, and there was a few sequences where he kinda noticed it. But I thought they did a darn good job [maintaining it].”
Croke Park might have had slick grass, but the Tottenham Stadium turf wasn’t perfect last year. It started sprinkling in the second half, and the artificial turf became slippery. Many players lost their footing on crucial plays. Still, it didn’t have a significant impact on the game’s outcome.
“I know last year we noticed the difference between 2022 and Tottenham, as far as the new turf,” he said. “It was kind of similar to what we put in U.S. Bank, and the players kind of mentioned that.
“When it rained, it did get a little slick,” he added. “So, I imagine after a year and a few games played on it, it’ll be ready to go.”
The Vikings have made London feel like home recently, but they’ve never spent an entire week in England. They’re in uncharted territory, but they have ambitions of world domination. One loss in Ireland shouldn’t deter them from leaving familiar surroundings.
If anything, they’ve learned that the grass is a little greener when they return.
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