LONDON – Purple-and-gold digital ad banners lined the hallways of London Underground stations on Saturday, flashing images of Vikings players on the escalators that led up to the Outernet, a new entertainment, arts and cultural complex above the Tottenham Court tube station in London’s West End.
Vikings are back in London again, pitching the joys of the NFL
The Vikings’ pregame routine for their fourth game in the U.K. felt as much like a junket as ever with Justin Jefferson explaining the Griddy and former stars teaching kids flag football.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 5, 2024 at 10:20PM
Passengers who emerged at street level were greeted by four-story LED screens that displayed animations of Justin Jefferson, Vikings graphics alongside a Union Jack flag and a 360-degree view of U.S. Bank Stadium the team shot during the Sept. 15 home opener against the 49ers. Inside the Outernet’s Now building, former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen posed for pictures with fans, while paid actors portraying a referee and Vikings players led fans through everything from mock football drills to a Skol chant.
The Outernet takeover, which took nine months of planning, was at the center of a Vikings marketing blitz that might have exceeded anything the team has done in its previous three trips to London. The spires of the city’s famous Tower Bridge were lit in purple during the week; former Vikings receivers Cris Carter and Jake Reed greeted fans purchasing “Three Deep” merchandise at the Mitchell & Ness pop-up store blocks away from the Outernet.
The Vikings are one of six teams with NFL marketing rights in the U.K., and their ambition to build their international following was as clear as ever this week in London. Before the Sunday home game against the Jets, they transferred to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the first of the NFL’s three regular-season games in England this year. The Jaguars play two London games in as many weeks against the Bears and Patriots. The Packers and Eagles opened the season in São Paulo, while the Giants and Panthers will play in Munich on Nov. 10.
NFL efforts to grow the game’s international footprint aren’t slowing down, not with the league pursuing games in additional countries and flag football coming to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Vikings’ lease agreement at U.S. Bank Stadium allows them to move one more home game abroad between now and 2030, and three more from 2031 to ’45. Beyond that, they could continue to be a regular road team in the U.K., as they were in 2017 and 2022.
Their branding efforts this week included a football team that’s become the surprise of the NFL after beating three consecutive 2023 playoff teams on the way to the NFC’s only unbeaten record through four weeks. That team flew overnight from the Twin Cities to London on Thursday, shuttling straight to The Grove Hotel north of London in Watford, England, for a full day of work on Friday before a walkthrough on Saturday.
The schedule hewed closely to the one that Vikings executive director of player health and performance Tyler Williams developed for their game at the same stadium two years ago, when they beat the Saints by three points. While their business department carried out events that had been planned for months, players had to rejuvenate following a victory at Lambeau Field, manage a six-hour time difference and prepare to face Aaron Rodgers in something resembling a neutral-site environment, all in a matter of days.
The player who has logged more snaps than any Vikings player the past two years is also the one who might have the most frequent flyer miles: safety Camryn Bynum. His wife, Lalaine, is from the Philippines, so his frequent offseason trips there have familiarized him with the demands of international travel.
As much as the Vikings could try to mechanize preparing for an international game, Bynum offered a mantra that might help them manage the disruption.
“For me, no routine is the best routine,” he said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned, traveling place to place, living in different places, is, ‘Just go with it.’ You’re gonna be tired, but just go walk around, go outside and do something, but don’t put yourself near a bed where you’re going to knock out. And I’ve seen the good and bad of that: I’ve had times where I’ve said, ‘Forget it, I’m taking a nap,’ and slept all day, and took days to get out of the jet lag. But I enjoy the chaos of it.”
For the Vikings, Friday felt as much like a junket as a regular-season practice day. Carter, Reed and Allen were on hand for practice, before fan events in London on Saturday. More than 30 British media members asked Jefferson about the enduring popularity of the Griddy, while coach Kevin O’Connell was given opportunities to stump for the NFL’s appeal to European fans.
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“I grew up loving this game,” O’Connell said. “Everything about it, it really has defined who I am as a person: being around such a unique, dynamic team sport where you can accomplish nothing without the other 10 guys in the huddle doing their job.”
“It’s very competitive,” he added. “Our rules are set up that, you know, really, every single training camp, every fan base, should feel like we’ve got a chance this year to do something special. And then the best part is we roll it out 17 times and see what happens from there. So hopefully we continue to get more and more opportunities worldwide. But I know how special this area of the world is, and the London games have been such a phenomenal thing for our league. And we hope to continue to grow, not only our fan base, but [the] opportunities to come.”
Two years ago, the Vikings flew home from London hours after beating the Saints, with a home game against the Bears on their schedule the following Sunday. This time, they will take their bye week after the game and delay their flight home until Monday, giving players, coaches and team officials a night to explore London with their families.
“I’m going to rent one of those electric scooters and just ride around the city,” Bynum said.
After a whirlwind week, the players at the center of the Vikings’ U.K. enterprise would at least have some time to enjoy the experience.
“We spend a lot of time together throughout the year,” safety Josh Metellus said, “but to get to go out of the country, come here and experience a different culture definitely helps build relationships.”
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Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
