Addison stands tall for Vikes after early benching

LONDON -- Jordan Addison began Sunday on the Minnesota Vikings' sideline, benched for the first quarter as discipline for missing a walk-through practice last week.

He ended it with a catch on each of the Vikings' final three offensive plays, capped by a 12-yard touchdown with 25 seconds remaining that lifted his team to a 21-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

"I never want to let my teammates down," Addison said. "They're always there for me. So I am going to make sure I'm always there for them. When they needed me, I was there."

In his three quarters of play, Addison caught five passes for 41 yards. The touchdown allowed the Vikings to salvage a 10-day, two-country road trip with a 1-1 record after a 24-21 loss in Dublin last week to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Coach Kevin O'Connell revealed that Addison missed one of the team's walk-through practices at Hanbury Manor, the countryside estate located about 90 minutes north of London where the Vikings lived and worked last week. Addison later addressed teammates at a meeting, according to O'Connell.

At that point, Addison wasn't certain how heavy the discipline would be. Asked if he was worried that he would be benched for the entire game, he said, "Hell, yeah."

Ultimately, O'Connell lifted the punishment at the start of the second quarter. Addison missed two offensive possessions and a total of 14 offensive plays.

"Those types of things aren't in alignment with our standards," O'Connell said after the game. "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. He spoke to the team to let them know that whenever I gave him the opportunity to go in the game, they could count on him. And he made the game-winning catch.

"I love Jordan Addison. He's a guy that I care about tremendously. He knows that every guy in that locker room has his back. He knows that I will never 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."

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

Receiver Justin Jefferson said that he spoke with Addison about it and pledged to be a stronger mentor.

"It's a difficult situation," Jefferson said. "I definitely had my words with JA. But in the end it's all about growing up and just being a part of the team and knowing mistakes and knowing that he's a valuable part of the team. It's more about the team and more about just us as a whole, not focusing individually on JA. But for him to come out with that going on and still be able to make plays out there, and finishing the game with a touchdown to get us up, it was like it was meant to happen.

"He's a great player. He's a tremendous talent. I've just got to do better at keeping him under my wing and making sure that he has his head on straight."

The No. 23 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Addison was cited in July 2023 for driving 140 mph on a highway between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The NFL suspended him for the first three games of this season, stemming from an incident in July 2024 in which he was found asleep at the wheel of his car on a freeway near Los Angeles International Airport. Addison ultimately pleaded no contest to reckless driving involving alcohol. He was placed on probation for 12 months, paid a $390 fine and was required to complete two online courses.

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

"We're all human," tight end T.J. Hockenson said. "We all make mistakes. But at the end of the day, we have nothing but love and respect for JA -- what he is as a player and what he is as a person. Look at the teammate he's been to us. At the end of the day, it was one mistake, but we move forward. We love that guy in this locker room. Everybody has nothing but the utmost respect for him, not just as a player but as a person."

Hockenson, meanwhile, said he was shocked to see how open Addison was on his touchdown. Addison ran what the Vikings call an "Omaha" route, slipped past Browns cornerback Denzel Ward and caught the throw from quarterback Carson Wentz.

"They fluffed off of him," Hockenson said. "You don't need to be doing that against JA, especially on the last play of the game. I looked over and I was like, 'Perfect.' I hadn't seen him that open in a while."