By Craig Peters
Down, set, Jets.
Tottenham-Hotspur Stadium will provide the runway for the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets on Oct. 6 as part of the 2024 London Games, the teams and the NFL announced Wednesday.
The Week 5 contest will be just the 13th meeting between the franchises that first played on Nov. 29, 1970.
The Jets have an 8-4 edge in the series fueled by a seven-game win streak that began Oct. 15, 1979, at Shea Stadium (on Monday Night Football) and continued through Oct. 11, 2010, at New Meadowlands Stadium (now MetLife Stadium).
The Vikings snapped that skid in 2014 and started a streak of their own that has reached three games.
Jarius Wright's 87-yard touchdown catch on a short pass from Teddy Bridgewater lifted the Vikings to an overtime win at the University of Minnesota on Dec. 7, 2014. Minnesota scored (a 27-yard interception return by Gerald Hodges) on the first and final snaps of that game.
In 2018, the Vikings broke open a three-point game at halftime with 27 points after intermission for a 37-17 victory. Latavius Murray scored two touchdowns (11 and 38 yards), and Kirk Cousins threw 34-yard scores to Adam Thielen and Aldrick Robinson.
New Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw and ran for a touchdown for the Jets, but Minnesota intercepted the rookie QB three times, including one Harrison Smith returned 52 yards.
Four years later, Smith intercepted Mike White on just the fourth snap of the 2022 game between the Vikings and Jets. He also came up with a key pass breakup two plays before Camryn Bynum intercepted White in the end zone to seal a 27-22 win.
Vikings History in London Games
The Vikings-Jets game marks the fourth time the Vikings have played an International Series game in London and the team's second appearance at Tottenham-Hotspur Stadium in three years.
Minnesota defeated Pittsburgh 34-27 at Wembley Stadium in Week 4 of the 2013 season and topped Cleveland 33-16 at Twickenham Stadium in Week 8 of the 2017 season.
Greg Jennings caught touchdowns of 70 and 16 yards, and Adrian Peterson rushed for touchdowns of 60 and 7 yards to help the Vikings top the Steelers.
Adam Thielen caught five passes for 98 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown from Case Keenum, to earn "Man of the Match" honors against the Browns.
In 2022, the Vikings led through the first three quarters before the Saints surged back to a 22-19 lead with 9:29 remaining.
Minnesota rallied with a 3-yard touchdown run by Justin Jefferson for a 25-22 lead (Greg Joseph's extra point missed wide right) with 4:15 on the clock. The Saints tied the game on a 60-yard field goal by Wil Lutz with 1:51 remaining, but the Vikings quickly responded with a 53-yard drive to set up a 47-yard kick by Joseph with 24 seconds left.
New Orleans completed a 32-yard pass but was unable to advance the ball farther than Minnesota's 43-yard line. With two seconds remaining Lutz lined up for a 61-yard field goal attempt that double-doinked off the uprights.
Previous International Appearances by Vikings
The Vikings have also played four international exhibition games (three in Europe, one in Asia):
Aug. 6, 1983: Vikings 28, St. Louis Cardinals 10 in London, England
Aug. 14, 1988: Vikings 28, Bears 21 in Goteburg, Sweden
Aug. 7, 1993: Vikings 20, Bills 6 in Berlin, Germany
Aug. 7, 1994: Vikings 17, Chiefs 9 in Tokyo, Japan
The Vikings have played three international regular-season games:
Sept. 29, 2013: Vikings 34, Steelers 27 in London, England
Oct. 29, 2017: Vikings 33, Browns 16 in London, England
Oct. 2, 2022: Vikings 28, Saints 25 in London, England
