As if the task the Browns face in London this weekend wasn’t tall enough, the team was woken up by a fire alarm caused by a gas leak early Saturday morning and had to evacuate their hotel at 5:45 a.m.
The winless Browns are 9.5-point underdogs against the 5-2 Vikings at Twickenham Stadium Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network).
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Team personnel, including players and coaches, spent an hour in a temporary locker room – “essentially a heated tent,” per ESPN – before returning to their rooms.
According to cleveland.com, Browns QB DeShone Kizer and running back Duke Johnson “stressed the importance of getting a good night's sleep Friday night after flying overnight on Thursday and then practicing Friday afternoon.”
The incident at the hotel not only disrupted the Browns’ sleep, it also prompted an adjustment to their preparation schedule, as their Saturday walk-through was moved back two hours. Also, some Browns players did not attend an NFL UK pep rally and fan forum Saturday afternoon as planned.