Week 14 of the National Football League (NFL) featured Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons paying a visit to Minnesota to face the Vikings, the team Cousins spent six seasons playing for, before signing with Atlanta on a four year deal worth 180 million dollars. When he entered the field, Vikings fans did not embrace the Christmas spirit, and instead greeting him with boos as he ran out of the tunnel.
The game began for the Falcons with positive momentum, as running back Tyler Allgeier was able to score a rushing touchdown from six yards out, followed by a forced punt on Minnesota’s first drive. However, Cousins and his offense would squander away their next drive as his fourth down pass attempt to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud from Minnesota’s 38 yard line fell incomplete. The Vikings would take advantage of this mistake as quarterback Sam Darnold found wide receiver Jordan Addison for a 49-yard touchdown, tying the game at seven points apiece. The Falcons would get the ball before the first quarter ended.
Cousins would throw his first interception of the game to start the second quarter, as he was picked off by Vikings safety Josh Metellus. The Vikings and Falcons would then exchange punts, as both teams continued their struggles on offense. After the punts, the Vikings would take the lead as Darnold found wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a 12-yard touchdown. The Falcons managed to squeeze in a field goal before halftime, as the first half ended with a Vikings 14-10 lead.
The third quarter started with the Vikings failing to make a field goal from 47 yards. Not able to take full advantage of the missed kick, the Falcons would counter with a 29-yard field goal. On their next drive, the Vikings were quick to score as Darnold found Jefferson for another large, 52-yard touchdown. The Falcons were eager to keep pace, as they drove down the field, punching in the ball with Bijan Robinson from 13 yards out. A successful two-point conversion run by Robinson tied the game at 21 points each. The Vikings received the ball before the end of the third quarter.
The Vikings took back the lead quickly as Addison caught his second touchdown of the game. Minnesota’s special teams unit quickly got the ball back as C.J. Ham recovered another Falcons’ fumble on the kickoff. The Vikings took full advantage of the turnover as Addison scored his third touchdown of the game, giving the Vikings a 35-21 lead. Cousins would make a crucial mistake as he was picked off by cornerback Byron Murphy. The Vikings would ice the game as Aaron Jones scored from 15 yards out. The Falcons last gasp on fourth down was unsuccessful, as the Vikings ran the clock out for a 42-21 win over their former quarterback.
According to ESPN, Cousins completed 23 of his 37 passes for 344 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Robinson led the team in rushing with 22 carries for 92 yards. Darnell Mooney was Atlanta’s leading receiver with six catches for 142 yards. For Minnesota’s statistics, Cousins completed 22 of his 28 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns. Jones was their leading rusher with 13 carries for 73 yards. Addison led the team in receiving with eight catches for 133 yards.
The Vikings improved to a 12-2 record, as they continue to keep pace with the Detroit Lions in the National Football Conference (NFC) North. Meanwhile, the Falcons dropped to 6-7 on the season, which currently puts them in second place in the NFC South.
