Week 8: VIKINGS (5-2) at Browns (0-7)

[ArcticNorseman]

Uggghhhh!  So, the game is 0930 hrs EASTERN Time  Guess I'll be an early, early riser come Sunday . . . 0530 kick-off.  I hope the Vikes play this well and keep the edge they've been playing with.  Letting down on any team can be disastrous, so, I hope they stay focuses and make things difficult for Kizer and Co.

[Klomp]

 

[vike daddy]

In 2015, the Vikings saw quarterback Teddy Bridgewater knocked out of a game against the Rams when Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner elbowed Bridgewater in the head. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer called the hit a “cheap shot” and said that then-Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ units have a history of delivering such blows. Williams was suspended by the league for a year as a result of the Saints bounty scandal. With Williams now running the Browns defense and the two teams meeting in London this weekend, Zimmer was asked about his past comments about the coordinator and said he’s “over that.”

Zimmer: "I think they’ve been playing very clean. They play hard and they play physical, like all teams should, but no, I haven’t seen anything like a cheap shot.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/10/27/mike-zimmer-over-past-complaints-about-gregg-williams-defenses/

[wcblack34]

Being here in the Central time zone, I love these London games. I like waking up earlyish (still later than on weekdays), making some coffee and breakfast, and then setting my arse in my chair and watching TV for pretty much 15 straight hours. I'm one of the rare folks who really does hope that an NFL team ends up in London. 

[SemperFeist]

9 minutes ago, wcblack34 said:

Being here in the Central time zone, I love these London games. I like waking up earlyish (still later than on weekdays), making some coffee and breakfast, and then setting my arse in my chair and watching TV for pretty much 15 straight hours. I'm one of the rare folks who really does hope that an NFL team ends up in London. 

Agreed (minus the team in London part). 

I love having a game on at 8:30. I’d much rather watch a football game, than watching any of those mind numbing pregame shows. 

[vike daddy]

FiveThirtyEight’s 2015 NFL forecast uses an Elo-based model to calculate each team’s chances of winning each week.

Pre-game win probabilities: Vikings 84 percent — FiveThirtyEight.com

 

9 of 10 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN

8 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, CBS Sports

9 of 9 experts pick the Vikings, SB Nation

http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/NFL-Expert-Picks-Vikings-Favorites-in-London/e86df2b0-bf62-4d4a-a50f-44dc25273f52?sf126354513=1

[swede700]

Vikings injuries are up....Notables: Sirles is out, as expected...Diggs and Easton questionable.  

[SemperFeist]

Diggs was a full participant in practice, as was Reiff, so I’d expect them to play. 

[vike daddy]

a Browns fan writes:

"I think it’s time to accept Kizer is what he is, and what he is going to be.  The same things that were exposed at ND are only getting further exposed and exploited each week that he plays and he is regressing.  Those are decision making, reads, fast processing mentally, and accuracy."

 

good gawd, the death knell going up against an ever shifting, adaptive Zimmer defense...

[swede700]

It's an interesting take to just write off a guy after 7 games. 

And I thought people here were harsh on Tarvaris after his first handful of starts...yeesh.  

[swede700]

Quote

 

Darrin Nelson has a poster from the game at his home in Southern California, a reminder of the day the Vikings faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the first NFL match-up in Great Britain.

When it all started, goal posts had to be shipped to London, and the Vikings were assigned the task of bringing the first-down chains.

So what was the most exciting play of the game?

“They didn’t really cheer at the appropriate times,” Nelson said of the fans, who obviously were much more familiar with soccer and rugby than American football. “When we scored a touchdown, it wasn’t a big deal. But when we kicked anything, it was a pretty big deal to them. They cheered the kickoffs. They cheered punts. They were pretty silent on touchdowns.”

http://www.twincities.com/2017/10/27/vikings-were-pioneers-when-they-played-first-game-in-london-in-1983/

 

[NorthCountryEvo]

That's awesome, haha. I assume they have become somewhat more acclimated to the game at this point.

[SteelKing728]

One thing to consider is that back in 2015 week 1 at San Fransisco, our team looked all sort of out of whack. I think it clearly had to do with the traveling halfway across the country. We weren't prepared at all.

I just hope that's not the case this week. I think the team made the necessary accommodations for the trip this time and we should be good to go.

I think we'll do well and win, but if I'm wrong, this would be a relevant point worth discussing.

But I won't be wrong. Skol Vikings!!

[The Gnat]

I'm not that worried about the travel, in that case, it was an odder time in many ways for the Vikings to play that game. They looked fine previously in London as well. I think they spend more time going over with London versus taking that west coast trip for the odd time. I also think there's a pretty big difference from the first week of the season to the middle of the season and earlier in the day versus later in the day.

[y*so*blu]

So how does a team's schedule typically work after a London game? Do they just fly back right away so they can deal with the jet lag ASAP? I guess it's not a major concern since our bye is coming up, but I was just wondering.