For their first game of the 2025 Superseries regular season, the Vikings are traveling to Stockholm to face off against last year’s runner up, the Mean Machines. The Mean Machines won their first game against Limhamn Griffins comfortably and will be eager to earn their second win of the season on Saturday. The Vikings on the other hand, are looking to make a statement in their first game of the season. Will the Vikings be able to bring the W back home to Oslo, or will the Mean Machines strengthen their standing in the league?
What to watch for
The Mean Machines showed out against the Griffins with an impressive win. The Mean Machines outgained their opponents by 350 total yards and 42 points. It’s hard to say whats more impressive, gaining almost 500 yards of offense, or allowing just 119 yards on defense. Either way, the Mean Machines look like a tough team to beat.
The Vikings are rolling into the season under new Head Coach and offensive play caller, Sam Gooding. Coach Gooding signed during the offseason and immediately put his mark on the Vikings organization. The Vikings will display some new players in a new offense built to produce in a multitude of ways. Some familiar faces, like Will Sewell, are also back in the mix. What will Coach Goodings offense look like in the Vikings first game of the season?
Defensively, the Vikings will be tasked with slowing down what looked like a high-powered offense. The Mean Machines offense lit up the stat sheets and scoreboard last weekend, churning out tons of yards, points and first downs. The Vikings defense, led by DC Adam Lukasewicz, has a tough task cut out for them to begin the season.
Players to watch
How will the Vikings utilize Will Sewell? Sewell has been a playmaker extraordinaire both on offense and defense for the Vikings for the past couple of seasons. With very limited playing time during the Vikings preseason game it’s hard to know what the Vikings plan to do with Sewell. Will he be playing offense or strictly defense? Either way, whenever Sewell takes the field one can expect fireworks, and this season should be no different.
To sandwich in a Mean Machines player, let’s talk about QB Dawson Herl. Against the Griffins, Herl put up some pretty numbers. 309 yards passing, 4 TD’s and a 68.8 completion percentage looks like a pro stat line. Just for fun, Herl added on 3 rushes for 27 yards and another TD, making it 5 total TD’s on the game. The Vikings defense has their work cut out for them going up against this guy.
A new face to the Vikings is import QB DeAndre Clayton. Clayton has shown his leadership, and has built chemistry with his teammates in practice, but how will he do against what looks like a talented Mean Machines defense? Clayton was brought in to be the engine of the Vikings offense, and against the Lillestrøm Starfighters that engine was humming. Passes were thrown and caught (good job receivers), and Clayton showed he is capable of extending plays with his legs in the pocket as well as outside of it.
Will we see improvement from last season, or are there still some missing pieces to the puzzle for the Vikings? Find out this Saturday at 15!