LONDON (AP) — Jordan Addison came up big when his teammates needed him the most.
The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver was benched for the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns for missing a team walk-through this past week.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is tackled during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright (91) reacts after sacking Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) shouts out instructions during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) passes the ball during the first half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
But he scored the game-winning touchdown in Minnesota's 21-17 victory over Cleveland at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
“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,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
Addison caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz with 25 seconds left to give the Vikings (3-2) a much-needed win on their historic international road trip, which started with a 24-21 loss to the Steelers in Dublin.
“Having been in Europe for two weeks, pretty much, and losing last week in Ireland, a W was a must,” receiver Justin Jefferson said. “We couldn't go home on that plane 0-2.”
Wentz was 9 for 9 on the 10-play winning drive that started on the Minnesota 20-yard line.
The Vikings improved to 5-0 all time in London.
Cleveland's loss also spoiled Dillon Gabriel's first NFL start, as the Browns rookie put his team (1-4) in position to win by throwing two touchdown passes. Fellow rookie Quinshon Judkins rushed for 110 yards on 23 carries.
Wentz shook off a shoulder injury that briefly sent him to the locker room and led two scoring drives in the second half after the Vikings trailed 10-7 at halftime. The veteran finished 25 of 34 for 236 yards and the touchdown pass.
Addison had five receptions for 41 yards to complement Jefferson's big game: 123 yards on seven receptions.
Addison returned last week after serving a three-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy for a drunken driving case last year.
Jordan Mason's 3-yard touchdown run gave the Vikings a 14-10 lead, capping eight-play, 71-yard drive in the third quarter.
Gabriel responded with a 13-play, 69-yard drive and a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Njoku on third-and-goal, for a 17-14 Browns lead. Njoku hurdled linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. on an earlier reception. He finished with six receptions for 67 yards.
Trying to tie the game at 17, Vikings kicker Will Reichard had his first miss of the season when he sent a 51-yard attempt wide right early in the fourth quarter.
Gabriel, who was selected as the starter this week over veteran Joe Flacco, completed 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
“We need to do a better job closing out. That’s an offensive thing, defense, special teams, coaches, players, you name it,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said.
The Vikings used some trickery to pull even at 7-7.
Running back Cam Akers took a direct snap, tucked the ball to run right before passing to a wide-open Josh Oliver — typically a blocking tight end — for a 32-yard touchdown reception. It was the first career NFL pass attempt for Akers, who was a high school quarterback.
Mason's fumble led to seven points for the Browns. Cleveland's Alex Wright punched the ball out and the Browns recovered it on the Minnesota 47.
Judkins then rumbled right for 32 yards and then 9 more on another carry. On second-and-goal from the 1, Gabriel faked a handoff to Judkins and threw left to fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr.
O'Connell said Addison missing a walk-through is “in not alignment with our standards.”
“I love Jordan Addison. He's a guy that I care about tremendously,” O'Connell said. “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.”
Jefferson, who prides himself as being a team leader, said he “definitely had my words with J.A.”
“It's just all about growing up and just being a part of the team, and knowing the stakes and knowing that he's a valuable part of this team,” Jefferson said.
“I've just got to do better in keeping him under my wing and making sure that he has his head on straight.”
Addison did not speak after the game.
Neither O'Connell nor Wentz seemed interested in discussing who will be under center in two weeks. Wentz started his third straight game — winning two of them — in place of the injured J.J. McCarthy.
“I'm just excited we got the win today, and we're going to move forward in this bye and get as healthy as we can in all positions,” O'Connell said.
Wentz said he doesn't look ahead.
“I'm done doing that. I'm very much trying to live in the moment and appreciate the moment right now,” he said. “I'm going to enjoy this one, get healthy and see what happens.”
Vikings: Wentz went to the locker room before halftime after taking a hit on his left shoulder form linebacker Carson Schwesinger. With 3 seconds left in the first half, backup quarterback Max Brosmer took a knee on his only snap. ... Mason was slow to get up after a reception late in the third quarter.
Vikings: A bye next week before they host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7.
Browns: At the Pittsburgh Steelers next week
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is tackled during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright (91) reacts after sacking Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) shouts out instructions during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) passes the ball during the first half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss Iran's deadly protests at the request of the United States, even as President Donald Trump left unclear what actions he would take against the Islamic state.
Tehran appeared to make conciliatory statements in an effort to defuse the situation after Trump threatened to take action to stop further killing of protesters, including the execution of anyone detained in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
Iran’s crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The sound of gunfire faded Thursday in the capital, Tehran. The country closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday and some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” travel to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
Here is the latest:
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group, said on Thursday that “criminal gangs” were responsible for the situation in Iran, accusing them of carrying out an “American-Israeli” scheme.
“Criminal gangs in Iran killed Iranian citizens, security forces and burned mosques,” he said without providing evidence. “What’s being committed by criminal gangs in Iran is horrific, bearing an American stamp as it includes slaughter and burning some people alive.”
He also said that the U.S. imposed economic sanctions on Iran to create a crisis leading to the current issues in the country with the end goal of controlling Iran.
Yet he said the U.S. has “failed in Iran” and that Iranians “will not yield to America.”
The president of the European Union’s executive arm says the 27-member bloc is looking to strengthen sanctions against Iran as ordinary Iranians continue their protests against Iran’s theocratic government.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday following a meeting of the EU’s commissioners in Limassol, Cyprus that current sanctions against Iran are “weakening the regime.”
Von der Leyen said that the EU is looking to sanction individual Iranians —apart from those who belong to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard — who “are responsible for the atrocities.”
She added that the people of Iran who are “bravely fighting for a change” have the EU’s “full political support.”
Canada’s foreign minister says a Canadian citizen has died in Iran “at the hands of the Iranian authorities.”
“Peaceful protests by the Iranian people — asking that their voices be heard in the face of the Iranian regime’s repression and ongoing human rights violations — has led the regime to flagrantly disregard human life,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand posted on social media Thursday.
“This violence must end. Canada condemns and calls for an immediate end to the Iranian regime’s violence,” she added.
Anand said consular officials are in contact with the victim’s family in Canada. She did not provide details.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced Thursday that a local staff member was killed and several others were wounded during the deadly protests in Iran over the weekend.
Amir Ali Latifi, an Iranian Red Crescent Society worker, was working in the country’s Gillan province on Jan. 10 when he was killed “in the line of duty,” the organization said in a statement.
“The IFRC is deeply concerned about the consequences of the ongoing unrest on the people of Iran and is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Iranian Red Crescent Society,” the statement continued.
U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed as “good news” reports that the death sentence has been lifted for an Iranian shopkeeper arrested in a violent crackdown on protests.
Relatives of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani had said he faced imminent execution.
Trump posed Thursday on his Truth Social site: “FoxNews: ‘Iranian protester will no longer be sentenced to death after President Trump’s warnings. Likewise others.’ This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue!”
Iranian state media denied Soltani had been condemned to death. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.
Trump sent tensions soaring this week by pledging that “help is on its way” to Iranian protesters and urging them to continue demonstrating against authorities in the Islamic Republic.
On Wednesday Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying he had been told that “the killing in Iran is stopping.”
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union’s main foreign policy chief said the G7 members were “gravely concerned” by the developments surrounding the protests, and that they “strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities’ brutal repression of the Iranian people.”
The statement, published on the EU’s website Thursday, said the G7 were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” and condemned “the deliberate use of violence” by Iranian security forces against protesters.
The G7 members “remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has spoken with his counterpart in Iran, who said the situation was “now stable,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Abbas Araghchi said “he hoped China will play a greater role in regional peace and stability” during the talks, according to the statement from the ministry.
“China opposes imposing its will on other countries, and opposes a return to the ‘law of the jungle’,” Wang said.
“China believes that the Iranian government and people will unite, overcome difficulties, maintain national stability, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,” he added. “China hopes all parties will cherish peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialogue. China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard.”
“We are against military intervention in Iran,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul on Thursday. “Iran must address its own internal problems… They must address their problems with the region and in global terms through diplomacy so that certain structural problems that cause economic problems can be addressed.”
Ankara and Tehran enjoy warm relations despite often holding divergent interests in the region.
Fidan said the unrest in Iran was rooted in economic conditions caused by sanctions, rather than ideological opposition to the government.
Iranians have been largely absent from an annual pilgrimage to Baghdad, Iraq, to commemorate the death of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, one of the twelve Shiite imams.
Many Iranian pilgrims typically make the journey every year for the annual religious rituals.
Streets across Baghdad were crowded with pilgrims Thursday. Most had arrived on foot from central and southern provinces of Iraq, heading toward the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim in the Kadhimiya district in northern Baghdad,
Adel Zaidan, who owns a hotel near the shrine, said the number of Iranian visitors this year compared to previous years was very small. Other residents agreed.
“This visit is different from previous ones. It lacks the large numbers of Iranian pilgrims, especially in terms of providing food and accommodation,” said Haider Al-Obaidi.
Europe’s largest airline group said Thursday it would halt night flights to and from Tel Aviv and Jordan's capital Amman for five days, citing security concerns as fears grow that unrest in Iran could spiral into wider regional violence.
Lufthansa — which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings — said flights would run only during daytime hours from Thursday through Monday “due to the current situation in the Middle East.” It said the change would ensure its staff — which includes unionized cabin crews and pilots -- would not be required to stay overnight in the region.
The airline group also said its planes would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace, key corridors for air travel between the Middle East and Asia.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for several hours early Thursday without explanation.
A spokesperson for Israel’s Airport Authority, which oversees Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, said the airport was operating as usual.
Iranian state media has denied claims that a young man arrested during Iran’s recent protests was condemned to death. The statement from Iran’s judicial authorities on Thursday contradicted what it said were “opposition media abroad” which claimed the young man had been quickly sentenced to death during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.
State television didn’t immediately give any details beyond his name, Erfan Soltani. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Thursday that his government was “appalled by the escalation of violence and repression” in Iran.
“We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran’s security forces, including the killing of protesters,” Peters posted on X.
“Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information – and that right is currently being brutally repressed,” he said.
Peters said his government had expressed serious concerns to the Iranian Embassy in Wellington.
Women cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A demonstrator lights a cigarette with a burning poster depicting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of Iran's anti-government protests, in Holon, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
