Kevin O’Connell benches Vikings WR Jordan Addison for missing walkthrough

Vikings locker room reacts to 21-17 win over Browns

Vikings players Jordan Addison, Josh Metellus, Adam Thielen, Cam Akers, Walter Rouse, T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver and Byron Murphy Jr. react from the locker room after Sunday's 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur in London. The Vikings come home with a win, improve to 3-2 and enjoy a bye week.

LONDON, England - The Minnesota Vikings are flying home from London 3-2 after a 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur.

Jordan Addison benched for first quarter

What happened:

It was a game that featured lows and highs for Vikings’ star receiver Jordan Addison, who did not see the field in the first quarter. He then caught the game-winning touchdown from Carson Wentz with 25 seconds to play in regulation.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Addison was benched for the first quarter. It was a coach’s decision after Addison missed a team walkthrough this week.

Kevin O'Connell reacts to win over Browns

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell took questions from reporters on Sunday, after his team snuck past the Cleveland Browns on the road and across the pond in London.

What they're saying:

"Those types of things aren’t in alignment with our standards. I wanted to make sure he was held accountable for that, but at the same time, he knows that. I thought he handled it professionally," O’Connell said. "I love Jordan Addison, he knows that every guy in that locker room has his back. He knows I won’t ever waver in my confidence and belief in him, but at the same time we’ve got standards and personal responsibility, and accountability are huge if you want to talk about culture. That’s what happened there.

Addison talked about the situation in the Vikings’ locker room after the win. He said he was worried he might not play at all.

Addison addressed the team in a meeting about the absence.

"I’ll let him (O’Connell) discuss it, but I talked to the team, addressed the team in a team meeting. I feel like I was just uplifted though. I’ll let KO talk about it," Addison said. "I owned up to it. Mindset is whenever I get out there, I’ve got to make a play. I needed to be there for my team."

Jefferson has words with Addison

Why you should care:

Justin Jefferson had seven catches for 123 yards in Sunday’s win. That’s in addition to Addison getting five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. Jefferson said after the game he talked to Addison separately about his benching.

"We need him out there as much as possible and in the mix as much as possible. It’s a difficult situation, I definitely had my words with JA. It’s just about being a part of the team knowing the stakes, knowing he’s a valuable part of this team," Jefferson said. "For him to come out with that going on and still being able to make plays, finishing the game with a touchdown to get us up, it was like it was meant to happen. I’ve got to do better keeping him under my wing and making sure he has his head on straight."

Addison’s troubling trend

Dig deeper:

Addison is in his third NFL season after the Vikings took him No. 23 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft to complement Jefferson. His benching Sunday is the latest incident in what’s been a troubling trend.

Addison was suspended for the first three games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, stemming from a July 2024 drunk driving arrest. In his rookie year, Addison was cited by the Minnesota State Patrol for driving 140 miles per hour on Interstate 94 in St. Paul. He told authorities he was having an emergency with his dog.

The Vikings need a player of Addison’s caliber to have more self-awareness, and let his play on the field be what people are talking about, not what happens away from football.