As much as the Vikings could try to mechanize preparation for an international match, Bynum offered a mantra that could help them control the disruption.

“For me, no routine is the best routine,” he said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned, traveling from place to place, living in different places, is, ‘Just go for it.’ You will be tired, but just walk around, go outside and do something, but don’t stand near a bed where you will pass out. And I’ve seen the good and the bad of that: I’ve had times where I said, “Forget it, I’m going to take a nap,” and slept all day, and it took days to get out of the jet lag. . But I enjoy the chaos of it.”

For the Vikings, Friday felt as much like a junket as it did a regular-season practice day. Carter, Reed and Allen were on hand for practice ahead of fan events in London on Saturday. More than 30 British media members asked Jefferson about the Griddy’s continued popularity, while coach Kevin O’Connell had the opportunity to undermine the NFL’s appeal to European fans.

“I grew up loving this game,” O’Connell said. “Everything about it, it really defined who I am as a person: being in such a unique, dynamic team sport where you can’t achieve anything without the other ten guys in the group doing their job.”

“It’s very competitive,” he added. “Our rules are designed so that basically every training camp and every fan base should feel like we have an opportunity to do something special this year. And the best part is we’ll roll it out 17 times and see what happens from there. So hopefully we will continue to have more and more opportunities worldwide. But I know how special this part of the world is, and the London Games have been so phenomenal for our competition. And we hope to continue to grow, not only our fan base, but also (the) opportunities that are yet to come.”

Two years ago, the Vikings flew home from London hours after beating the Saints, with a home game against the Bears scheduled for the following Sunday. This time they will say goodbye a week after the match and postpone their flight home until Monday, giving players, coaches and team officials an evening to explore London with their families.