Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said that there had been a ‘secret sauce’ to his side’s ability to not only overcome defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin but also the length of their European sojourn to head home with victory in London under their belts.

Speaking after the last-gasp 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, O’Connell acknowledged that the combination of embarking on a longer trip than most NFL teams have played on their overseas adventures, key injuries on both offensive and defensive lines, and starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy not being able to play in either game might have floored lesser teams, before echoing his players in saying that the bond they have forged allowed the replacement players to step up start effectively.

“Our locker room is just about the right stuff,” O’Connell explained. “It’s hard to explain, but we call it the ‘invisible presence’, and it’s something that needs to be built and carved and shaved to each individual team every single year. But it’s important, something that matters. I’m sure there’s going to be people that listen to that and think that’s the strangest thing they’ve ever heard, but so be it. It matters to the Minnesota Vikings.

“I’m not sure anybody’s had a trip like this, but it’s definitely up on the podium for the longest, I would believe. There’s moments throughout a season that might not always be in alignment with the reactionary world of our game being the most popular game on the planet, but our locker room is cleansed of that.”

That unity not only allowed veteran QB Carson Wentz to step in as understudy to McCarthy, but also put three lineman on the field in London who were either playing out of position or making their first-ever appearance in a competitive NFL game. It also allowed the team to adapt while Jordan Addison served a suspension, and then ride the wide receiver to fourth quarter success at the weekend.

“There were moments in the game where I thought the connectedness [of a] team that’s been bonded together through some unique circumstances over the last ten days, and long before that as well, showed itself. There was no flinch,” O’Connell continued.

“We knew this was going to be a very hard-fought football game. That’s one of the best defenses in the NFL, and they do a lot of challenging things running the football and just keeping you off balance defensively, so I knew we would have to battle, we would have to play well in the kicking game, try to win the turnover battle and do some of the little things right. We weren’t able to do all that, but our guys were just relentless in their pursuit of trying to win a football game today.

Addison, further to missing the opening three weekends of the season at the behest of the NFL was also forced to sit and watch the entire first quarter for missing a team walk-through prior to the game. However, O’Connell had no qualms in use the receiver heavily in the game-winning drive.

“A lot of those calls were really centered around going fast, trying to navigate having a few young bucks in there against one of the best fronts in football,” he explained. “We were able to move the ball against some single high [coverage], and they were disguising a little bit of some split safety looks out of those single-high looks, but Carson did a nice job seeing it. When we got single high, we were able to get the ball down the field. Justin [Jefferson] made a great play on the one-on-one inside, and we kind of got down there. It was kind of a coaching point we gave early on in the game that showed up in a gotta-have-it-type situation.

“I thought [Addison] handled [being made to sit] professionally. He spoke with the team to let them know that, whenever I gave him the opportunity to go in the game, they could count on him — and then he makes the game-winning catch. I love Jordan Addison, and he knows that every guy in that locker room has his back. He knows that I will never waiver in my confidence and belief in him but, at the same time, we’ve got standards. Personal responsibility and accountability are huge.”

O’Connell also praised his defense for largely containing the Browns, most notably at the end of the second quarter when a touchdown would have given the ‘home’ side a boost. Instead, possession changed hands and, receiving the second half kickoff, Minnesota was able to gradually take control of the game.

“If you’re able to get the stop when you defer to start the game, that kind of opens that door to a possible chance at doubling up, to end the quarter and start the second half. We didn’t do that, but I did feel like that stop — even after giving up the drive we did — to keep them out and hold them to three, was a boost. Then it was the offense’s turn to go out there and stack some plays.”