This season, the Cleveland Browns are set to face off against the NFC North, which means they’ll host the Green Bay Packers and “host” the Minnesota Vikings, while hitting the road to take on the Detroit Lions in the Motor City and the Chicago Bears in the Windy City. The last time the Browns faced this same NFC North slate was during the 2009 and 2017 seasons.
In both 2009 (Week 7 – Sunday, October 25) and 2017 (Week 14 – Sunday, December 10), the Packers traveled to Cleveland to play the Browns at what is now known as Huntington Bank Field in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. That tradition continues in 2025, as the Packers are once again set to visit the Dawg Pound in Week 3 (Sunday, September 21).
However, the situation with the Vikings is a bit more unique.
Back in 2017, Cleveland was officially listed as the “home” team against Minnesota in Week 8 (Sunday, October 29). But here’s the twist: that game wasn’t played in Cleveland. Instead, it took place at Twickenham Stadium—now known as Allianz Stadium—in London, England.
The venue, best known as the home of England’s men’s and women’s national rugby teams, is located in the suburban district of Twickenham, west of central London. Minnesota won that international matchup handily, 33–16, dropping the Browns to 0–8 on their way to an infamous 0–16 season.
The Vikings’ last appearance in the Dawg Pound, just off the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland, came back in Week 1 (Sunday, September 13, 2009), where they left no doubt in the minds of Browns fans crossing the border with a convincing 34–20 victory.
Battling an early deficit, thanks to a 67-yard punt-return touchdown by Joshua Cribbs, they roared back behind Adrian Peterson’s three-touchdown performance (including a jaw-dropping 64-yard sprint) and a steady connection between Brett Favre, making his Vikings debut, and rookie Percy Harvin, who caught Favre’s first touchdown pass in purple. The game turned in the second half, as Minnesota outscored Cleveland 24–7 after the break, leaving 70,560 fans stunned in the postgame haze.
But since that game in 2009, the Vikings haven’t played a game in Cleveland. Whereas on the flip side, the last two times the Browns were scheduled to play road games in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they actually made the trek north to the Land of 10,000 Lakes in Week 3 (Sunday, September 22) of the 2013 season and in Week 4 (Sunday, October 3) of the 2021 season.
2013 at the Metrodome:
In that Week 3 matchup, the Browns stunned Minnesota 31–27. Backup QB Brian Hoyer threw for 321 yards with three TDs and three INTs in just his second career start. Jordan Cameron hauled in all three touchdown passes—capping things with the game's go-ahead score in the back of the end zone with only 51 seconds left.
Cleveland pulled off a risky fake field-goal pass to build momentum, and special-teams kicker Spencer Lanning even found Cameron for a score before halftime. Rookie wideout Josh Gordon also made his presence felt, catching 10 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown in his Browns debut. Meanwhile, the defense held All‑Pro RB Adrian Peterson to 88 yards on 25 attempts and forced pivotal turnovers
2021 at the U.S. Bank Stadium:
The 2021 rematch was a hard-nosed defensive struggle that ended in a 14–7 Cleveland win. Minnesota jumped on the board early when Kirk Cousins connected with Justin Jefferson for a 12-yard TD on the first drive. But the Browns steadily took control, leaning on their ground game—Nick Chubb posted 100 yards on 21 attempts while Kareem Hunt added 69 yards and a one-yard TD run. The offense faltered at times—Baker Mayfield went just 15-for‑33 for 155 yards—and the team relied on Chase McLaughlin’s leg for field goals from 48 and 53 yards.
The defense clamped down after the opening drive, highlighted by Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney’s pressure and a key sack by Takkarist McKinley on third down. The defining moment came late in the fourth quarter, when Greedy Williams sealed the game by intercepting Cousins, his first career pick, and sparking the decisive drive.
One of my long-term goals as a Browns fan is to see them host every team in the NFL—but only in the regular season, because preseason games just don’t count. So when I saw that the Browns were set to face both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings this season in Cleveland, I was fired up. I’ve never seen either of those teams in a real game setting—sure, I did catch the Packers during last year’s preseason, but that doesn’t go on the official checklist. With Green Bay coming to Cleveland in Week 3, I’ll finally get to cross them off the list. I thought I’d be able to do the same with the Vikings… but then came the gut-punch: despite being listed as the “home” team, the Browns won’t actually be playing that game in Cleveland.
As mentioned earlier, the Vikings will not be visiting the Dawg Pound in 2025. Instead, they’ll face the Browns in Week 5 on Sunday, October 5 at 9:30 a.m. ET at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Once again, the schedule-makers yanked that opportunity right out from underneath me. I’m still chasing the dream of seeing the Browns host all 31 opponents here at home. Any road games I catch along the way? Just an added bonus.
The Browns' tangled history with the NFC North—and especially the Vikings—has taken them from Lake Erie to London, with heartbreaks, heroics, and everything in between. As a fan chasing the rare goal of seeing Cleveland host every NFL team in a real, regular-season battle, these international detours are more than just scheduling quirks—they're personal setbacks. While I’ll finally get to check Green Bay off my list this fall, the Vikings remain a frustrating asterisk. Hopefully, next time, the NFL gives us the true home game we’ve been waiting for. Until then, the hunt continues—one game, one team, and one stadium at a time.