The Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings are traveling to England for an international regular season game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. This will be a big night for former Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel, as the rookie will be making his first start of his pro career. This begs the question of who will not be playing for either team?
For the Cleveland Browns, they are:
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders
Safety Damontae Kazee
Running back Raheim Sanders
Defensive tackle Mike Hall, Jr.
Tackle Thayer Munford, Jr.
Guard Zak Zinter
Tackle Cornelius Lucas
For the Minnesota Vikings, they are:
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy
Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel
Center Michael Jurgens
Guard Donovan Jackson
Tackle Brian O’Neill
Tight end Ben Yurosek
Defensive lineman Elijah Williams
Vikings vs. Browns Inactives for Week 5 in London pic.twitter.com/WGwy3GeOWz
— FantasyPros (@FantasyProsNFL) October 5, 2025
The Browns, which has been noted to have too many quarterbacks, will have to sit out rookie Shedeur Sanders once again, with veteran Joe Flacco going from starting quarterback to backup quarterback as the Browns continue to experiment with their roster.
As for the Vikings, QB1 J.J. McCarthy continues to be inactive due to an ankle injury, with him missing Friday’s practice, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell noted that they want to be “smart” regarding the quarterback’s ankle injury and are currently in a “wait-and-see” situation on whether he could finally return for Week 6.
This will be the second week in a row that the Vikings will be playing outside of the country, as they fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland and are now 2-2. Carson Wentz will be starting for the injured McCarthy. As for the Browns, a lot of pressure will be on Dillon Gabriel, as the 1-3 Cleveland Browns are still trying to find their bearings this season.
History Not in Dillon Gabriel’s Side as He Makes His Starter Debut Vs. Minnesota Vikings
Should the Cleveland Browns win, Dillon Gabriel will be making history. Should the Browns lose in England, he would continue a trend plaguing the Browns since the team rejoined the NFL during the 1999 expansion.
No Cleveland Brown rookie who has been given the opportunity to start has never won their debut game as a starter. There have been 16 Browns rookie quarterbacks who were able to start in a game since 1999, and all of them have not won the game for the Browns.
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