As a parent of young children, I am fond of saying that our family does not take vacations.
We take trips, and there is a difference.
A trip has some of the same elements of a vacation: You travel to a destination and spend time engaging in activities together. But you also deal with meltdowns, unfamiliar bedtime routines and other stressors.
A vacation is unforgettable and recharges you. A trip is memorable, but often there’s a secret relief when it’s over because of the stress that comes along with the good memories.
The Vikings certainly never viewed their two weekend excursion to Europe as a vacation, but they also probably imagined a closer-to-ideal scenario with team bonding, sightseeing and a couple of victories.
They are instead most certainly on an NFL trip. Their offensive line plan has melted down. They are in an unfamiliar place. They have already lost once. And now they face a must-win game Sunday as this nightmarish trip draws to a close, as I talked about with La Velle E. Neal III on [Friday’s Daily Delivery podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-velle-e-neal-iii-on-twins-manager-search-must-win/id1550932167?i=1000729902490).
They will have to try to move the ball against a top-notch Browns defense while putting three backup linemen on the field. Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Michael Jurgens and Brian O’Neill [were ruled out on Friday’s final injury report](https://x.com/Vikings/status/1974097209873650135).
That means backup guard Blake Brandel will start ... at center. Undrafted rookie Joe Huber will start at guard. Justin Skule will start at right tackle.