Addison stands tall for Vikes after early benching

LONDON -- Jordan Addison began Sunday connected the Minnesota Vikings' sideline, benched for the archetypal 4th arsenic subject for missing a walk-through signifier past week.

He ended it with a drawback connected each of the Vikings' last 3 violative plays, capped by a 12-yard touchdown with 25 seconds remaining that lifted his squad to a 21-17 triumph implicit the Cleveland Browns.

"I ne'er privation to fto my teammates down," Addison said. "They're ever determination for me. So I americium going to marque definite I'm ever determination for them. When they needed me, I was there."

In his 3 quarters of play, Addison caught 5 passes for 41 yards. The touchdown allowed the Vikings to salvage a 10-day, two-country roadworthy travel with a 1-1 grounds aft a 24-21 nonaccomplishment successful Dublin past week to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Coach Kevin O'Connell revealed that Addison missed 1 of the team's walk-through practices astatine Hanbury Manor, the countryside property located astir 90 minutes northbound of London wherever the Vikings lived and worked past week. Addison aboriginal addressed teammates astatine a meeting, according to O'Connell.

At that point, Addison wasn't definite however dense the subject would be. Asked if helium was disquieted that helium would beryllium benched for the full game, helium said, "Hell, yeah."

Ultimately, O'Connell lifted the punishment astatine the commencement of the 2nd quarter. Addison missed 2 violative possessions and a full of 14 violative plays.

"Those types of things aren't successful alignment with our standards," O'Connell said aft the game. "I wanted to marque definite helium was held accountable for that, but astatine the aforesaid clip helium knows that. I thought helium handled it professionally. He spoke to the squad to fto them cognize that whenever I gave him the accidental to spell successful the game, they could number connected him. And helium made the game-winning catch.

"I emotion Jordan Addison. He's a feline that I attraction astir tremendously. He knows that each feline successful that locker country has his back. He knows that I volition ne'er waver successful my assurance and content successful him, but astatine the aforesaid time, we've got standards, and idiosyncratic work and accountability are immense if you privation to speech astir culture."

Addison deferred to O'Connell connected further details of his absence.

Receiver Justin Jefferson said that helium spoke with Addison astir it and pledged to beryllium a stronger mentor.

"It's a hard situation," Jefferson said. "I decidedly had my words with JA. But successful the extremity it's each astir increasing up and conscionable being a portion of the squad and knowing mistakes and knowing that he's a invaluable portion of the team. It's much astir the squad and much astir conscionable america arsenic a whole, not focusing individually connected JA. But for him to travel retired with that going connected and inactive beryllium capable to marque plays retired there, and finishing the crippled with a touchdown to get america up, it was similar it was meant to happen.

"He's a large player. He's a tremendous talent. I've conscionable got to bash amended astatine keeping him nether my helping and making definite that helium has his caput connected straight."

The No. 23 prime successful the 2023 NFL draft, Addison was cited successful July 2023 for driving 140 mph connected a road betwixt Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The NFL suspended him for the archetypal 3 games of this season, stemming from an incidental successful July 2024 successful which helium was recovered dormant astatine the instrumentality of his car connected a freeway adjacent Los Angeles International Airport. Addison yet pleaded nary contention to reckless driving involving alcohol. He was placed connected probation for 12 months, paid a $390 good and was required to implicit 2 online courses.

In between, Addison has caught 142 passes for 1,941 yards and 20 touchdowns successful 34 vocation games.

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