Minnesota @ Cleveland preview
Twickenham Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 22, 2013 ) Cleveland 31, Minnesota 27
The Minnesota Vikings have had success no matter who lines up under center, while the Cleveland Browns have had the opposite experience. The Vikings look to win their fourth straight game and pad their lead in the NFC North when they face the winless Browns on Sunday at London’s Twickenham Stadium.
The Vikings can look around the NFL and find plenty of evidence that the divide between the league’s top and bottom teams is narrow. Four of Cleveland’s seven losses have come by a field goal, including a 12-9 overtime setback against Tennessee last week. "I think our team will believe that (the Browns) are a good team," Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer told reporters. "Really, they're not that far away. They're really good on defense. They just turn the ball over offensively.” The Browns won the last meeting, posting a 31-27 victory at Minnesota in 2013, to snap a four-game losing streak in the all-time series.
TV: 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network. LINE: Vikings -9.5. O/U: 38
ABOUT THE VIKINGS (5-2): Minnesota has endured injury woes on offense, as quarterback Case Keenum has played well in place of Sam Bradford (knee) while running backs Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon have stepped up since rookie Dalvin Cook (knee) was lost for the season. The Vikings’ defense has been terrific, holding four straight opponents under 275 total yards to rank fourth in the league in total defense. Minnesota gave up a season-low 208 yards in a 24-16 win over Baltimore last week.
ABOUT THE BROWNS (0-7): As Zimmer noted, turnovers have been a huge concern for Cleveland, which has an NFL-high 19 giveaways - including three in each of its last three contests. The Browns benched quarterback DeShone Kizer, only to go back to the rookie out of Notre Dame after Kevin Hogan struggled in his only start. Cleveland ranks ninth in the league in total defense, but the turnovers have put the defense in tough spots, and the team is 24th in scoring defense.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Vikings WR Stefon Diggs has five touchdown receptions in his last six games.
2. Browns rookie DE Myles Garrett has recorded four sacks in his first three contests.
3. Cleveland RB Duke Johnson Jr. ranks third among NFL running backs with a team-high 314 receiving yards.
PREDICTION: Vikings 23, Browns 13