Falcons @ Vikings
Final Score: Vikings 42, Falcons 21
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)
The Minnesota Vikings do not miss Kirk Cousins. That was evident in a 21-point rout of the hapless Atlanta Falcons, in which the resurgent Sam Darnold threw for five (count them, five!) touchdown passes to make his case for the long term starting quarterback job for the Vikings. Cousins, on the other hand, was picked off twice and failed to throw for a score for the fourth game in a row, all of which Atlanta have lost. The calls for rookie Michael Penix Jr. are for real. Jordan Addison completed a hat-trick of touchdown grabs and superstar Justin Jefferson add two scores, his first receiving touchdowns since Week 7, as both wideouts eclipsed 100+ yards.
This was an impressive Vikings performance and consolidated their push for a playoff berth from a loaded NFC North. They remain a game behind the Lions with a crucial Week 18 game looking likely to decide the division’s fate. The Falcons have given up the lead in the NFC South to the Bucs and now have the Saints hot on their heels. They are a team at a very big crossroads.
Four Up
- Sam Darnold – if you rolled the dice on Darnold for your fantasy matchup, you hit the jackpot as he turned in a career-best showing with 34.58 fantasy points (in Yahoo!)
- Jordan Addison – emerging as a true WR1 for fantasy this season, Addison looks to be growing in both confidence and polish in his sophomore year
- Justin Jefferson – it was only a matter of time as anyone who has watched the Vikings this season knows before Jefferson broke out like this – he is unplayable for defenses
- Bijan Robinson – on a down day across the board for the Falcons, Bijan put in a solid showing and added a score to boost his fantasy performance
Two Down
- Kirk Cousins – yikes, this was bad! Cousins now boasts a 0:8 TD:INT ratio in his past four games – his decision-making under pressure killed him today
- Kyle Pitts – throw Pitts into the sun – his time to make himself a guy in this league is quickly diminishing (as is his target share)
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 23/37, 344 Yards, 2 INT, Sack
There was a telling moment from Joe Davis in the commentary for this game when he said “We talked to Kirk midweek and he said until he hears the words ‘you’re done’ then he will keep picking himself up and working through it.” And that is both a testament to the hard work Cousins has put in over the years to squeeze every bit of talent out of his body but a precursor to what is going to happen next. Because, he is definitely done in Atlanta if they are going to make a push for the playoffs. Cousins suffered from his immobility in the pocket and inability to work his body into a throwing position for tight windows. He has just 26.12 fantasy points combined over his last four starts. His turnovers weren’t as bad as last week but I wouldn’t say they were anyone else’s fault but his either. Despite throwing for 344 yards, and pulling off some elite throws for completions over the middle of the field, Cousins couldn’t do all the other stuff that makes a game-winning quarterback. It’s been emotional Kirk, and we love you, and you’ll do just great for a rebuilding franchise next year in need of a holdover quarterback. But, you are done!
YOU LIKE THAT?!WE LIKE THAT.#Vikings #Falcons
— Minnesota Vikings (@vikings.bsky.social) 2024-12-08T20:52:03.926Z
Notes
- Orchestrated an impressive 11-play, 70-yard opening drive of the game that led to a Tyler Allgeier run for a score at the goal line – surprisingly, the Vikings gave Cousins the middle of the field and he just stood in the pocket and hit his receivers between the numbers on throws of 28 yards and 16 yards before a fourth down conversion at the Minnesota 8-yard line. It was all too easy for the former Vikings signal-caller.
- Cousins got nailed from his blindside on the second drive of the game as rookie Dallas Turner busted through protection and hit him hard as he threw. Cousins was immediately asked to throw on 4th-&-6 at midfield but he looked a little inhibited trying to throw to the sideline and he could not connect with RayRay McCloud – the Vikings scoring a game-tying touchdown off the turnover on downs.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 22 Carries, 92 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
After a season-high 26 carries last week, Robinson backed up that performance with another 22 carries in this contest. Despite only two catches out of the backfield, Robinson bolstered his fantasy output with touchdown in the red zone after a wide open lane emerged on an outside zone run to the right. Robinson looked sharp in his touches in the first half and twice cut back across field and ploughed into contact for double-digit gains. His impact in the fourth quarter was minimal, however, as Cousins went over the middle to McCloud rather than checking down for Robinson to run-and-catch. Zac Robinson has made him the focal point of this offense and he has responded so far with a great season. You still feel there is more to come, however, and the potential as a pass-catcher out of the backfield is the only question mark that still remains about him as a top fantasy producer at the position.
Tyler Allgeier: 9 Carries, 63 Yards, TD
An underused power-back for the Falcons, Tyler Allgeier ran hard and hit paydirt on the opening drive of the game before seeing his opportunities limited as the Falcons slipped behind on the scoreboard. Mainly working in short yardage situations, Allgeier scored his third rushing touchdown of the season and totalled 63 yards on the ground, his most since Week 6 in a blowout against the Panthers.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Darnell Mooney: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 142 Yards
The former Bears wideout enjoyed some space in the secondary early in this game as he recorded his first two receptions for deep shots totalling 52 yards with Cousins finding time to throw between the numbers. Those two catches allowed the speedy wideout to post a career-high 142 yards on just six catches. Mooney worked on recent addition Fabian Moreau in the secondary and beat him on in-braking routes on four different occasions, one for a 49-yard gain on third down int he second quarter. Mooney was contained in the second half, however, as Cousins failed to push the ball deep into dangerous areas.
Ray-Ray McCloud: 11 Targets, 8 Receptions, 98 Yards, Fumble (Lost) | I Carry, 3 Yards
Backing up his 96-yard performance last week, McCloud post season-highs in targets, catches and yardage as he acted as a safety blanket for the immobile Cousins over the middle of the field. McCloud benefitted from the Vikings’ heavy blitz packages to catch-and-run over the middle for extra yards. His best opportunity was in the third quarter when he found space down the sideline and was pulled down just short of the goal line with a last-ditch arm tackle to his legs. However, his biggest impact was his costly fumble off a kick-off return after the Vikings scored that led to a two-score hole. Still, the volume play is there with McCloud for fantasy value.
Drake London: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 70 Yards
This marked the fourth straight game that Drake London failed to find the endzone as his chemistry with veteran Cousins continues its rocky patch. Despite a nice 16-yard grab on the opening touchdown drive, London failed to find a rhythm in this game and caught only 50% of his targets. Cousins also threw the ball his way in the first half expecting the wideout to come back to the ball but London continued on his route allowing Josh Metellus to pick the ball off for the Vikings.
Kyle Pitts: 6 Targets, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Another miserable day at the office for the much-hyped Pitts, who caught his only ball of the day on six targets late in the fourth quarter. There have been too many quarterbacks that have now not been able to make it work with the former first round pick. Atlanta need to move on.
Charlie Woerner: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Sam Darnold: 22/28, 347 Yards, 5 TD, 4 Sacks | 4 Carries, 7 Yards
A brilliant showing from Darnold who has now gone four straight games without a pick and thrown for 11 touchdowns in that time. The former No.1 overall pick looked composed in the pocket and moved away from pressure perfectly on more than one occasion. Darnold got a little lucky with a couple of deep balls, one of which relied on Addison tracking the ball better than the cornerback. Saying that, another deep bomb for Jefferson for a touchdown was a fantastic example of everything Darnold can do that Cousins couldn’t for Minnesota. Darnold moved out of pressure from multiple angles in the pocket and then whilst running to his right unleashed a dart back across towards the middle of the field to find a wide-open Jefferson for the touchdown. Darnold has not only shown growth as a signal-caller but his ability to make plays unscripted has taken Minnesota to a next level.
Jordan Addison 🫡🫡📺: NFL on FOX#Skol
— Minnesota Vikings (@vikings.bsky.social) 2024-12-08T20:33:37.692Z
Notes
- After the Falcons turned the ball over on downs near midfield late in the first quarter, Darnold stepped up into a throw under pressure and floated a ball deep – it wasn’t clear if he was actually impeded by pressure in his face or the ball was simply underthrown, but either way Addison did a great job tracking the ball in the air and coming back to grab it in space before streaking away to hand his quarterback a 49-yard score.
- Darnold took four sacks and a couple were really big hits. Part of this was some pressure up front that the offensive line failed to handle but he twisted into a couple of big sacks in Atlanta territory that took away the chance at a shot at the end zone. If he can curtail those plays, he will arise as a new power in the quarterback market and give the Vikings no choice but to hand him a new deal as the starter.
Running Back
Aaron Jones: 13 Carries, 73 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards
Back in the hearts of all Vikings fans, coaches and players after a rough month of ball security issues, Aaron Jones turned an efficient rushing performance into a solid one with an explosive 15-yard run into the endzone with less than four minutes left in the contest to settle the score. Jones handled his usual workhorse role but was limited to just two catches out of the backfield. Cam Akers also ran well with 7.4 yards per carry on five touches but he is not in danger of eating into Jones’ workload at a crucial point in the season. Jones has six touchdowns across the season but his recent downturn has seen him fall short of expectations. This is a nice return to form heading into positive matchups across the final four weeks of the season.
Cam Akers: 5 Carries, 37 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jordan Addison: 12 Targets, 8 Receptions, 133 Yards, 3 TD
After a couple of standout performances over the last month where the No.23 pick in the 2023 NFL draft has led the team in catches and yardage despite modest target share, this type of performance was due. Addison was a threat at every level of the route tree and consistently beat the coverage of A.J. Terrell to haul in grabs both easy and of the highest difficulty. After his clever play on the underthrown ball from Darnold in the first half, Addison added to his repertoire of catches with a terrific route and catch for 42 yards at the start of the fourth quarter to set up his team in the redzone with Atlanta drawing level on their previous possession. He then hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass for his second score of the game a few plays later. And, after McCloud fumbled the kick off return on the next possession, the Vikings immediately made it a two-score game with Addison’s third grab of the day in the end zone, this time from 6-yards out. The perfect fantasy performance at the perfect time for a receiver who many drafted as a flex option given his rocky start to the year after a troubled offseason.
https://bsky.app/profile/vikings.bsky.social/post/3lcsu5ox3ok2d
Justin Jefferson: 7 Targets, 7 Receptions, 132 Yards, 2 TD
He is inevitable. Much has been made of Jefferson’s subdued statistics despite his on-field performances being stellar. His dominance hasn’t been reflected in yardage and touchdowns but he has been electric with his routes and I’ve lost count of how many defensive pass interference calls he has drawn in the past couple of months. Queue that with the respect he is shown by defenses to allow other Vikings offensive weapons to benefit, his value is immeasurable. So, it was joyous to see him ball out like this in a crucial contest to setup the Vikings up for a huge playoff push. Outside of his 52-yard touchdown grab, the best wideout in football caught meaningful balls on three other touchdown drives as he shredded the Falcons secondary time and time again. He now has 14 catches on 16 targets over the past two games, mustering up 231 yards and putting himself in position for a big last month of the season during the fantasy playoffs.
Calm, cool and collected.Sam Darnold hits Justin Jefferson DEEEEEP for 6.📺: NFL on FOX#Skol
— Minnesota Vikings (@vikings.bsky.social) 2024-12-08T20:17:54.351Z
T.J. Hockenson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 45 Yards
Yet to find the end zone since his return from injury in Week 9, the big tight end has been slowly integrated back into this offense. His modest production continued in this game with four grabs (all over the middle of the field) for 45 yards as he worked out of the slot. The Vikings now mix in three different tight ends and this limits his ceiling from a fantasy perspective. Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt have combined for five scores this year so the hope is Hockenson sees these targets going forward.
Josh Oliver: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 26 Yards