Falcons @ Vikings
Final Score: Falcons 22, Vikings 6
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)
J.J.McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings looked to build on a stunning comeback victory against the Bears in Week 1 against an exciting Atlanta Falcons team that somehow lost their opening game despite the impressive Michael Penix Jr. doing all he could to put his team in a winning positions. After a messy first quarter, in which both McCarthy and Penix Jr. struggled with pre-snap mechanics, it was turnovers that proved to be the difference as Minnesota twice handed the ball to Atlanta deep in their own territory. After a failed quarterback sneak, McCarthy then threw the ball too low and inside on wideout Jalen Nailor, which allowed rookie defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. to snatch the ball for a takeaway with just 2:12 left in the first half. Some nice power running saw the Falcons once again hit the red zone but not for the first time in this game Penix Jr. failed to connect with his receivers to hit paydirt. A very tedious 9-6 scoreline a the half was just about what the game deserved.
Both teams tried to establish the run in the second half with a bit more joy but these offenses looked overmatched in passing downs, and in the red zone. Both defenses dominated the third quarter, with big sacks on McCarthy and Penix filling the highlight reel. A strip sack of McCarthy from Zach Harrison, untracked from the right edge, handed the ball to Atlanta at the Vikings 38-yard line but Penix was dumped by Jalen Redmond to force yet another field goal. New Falcons kicker Jon Parker Romo nailed his fifth of the night to finally give Atlanta a two-score lead with just 11:16 left in the game. McCarthy had no answer behind an offensive line that failed to protect him for much of the night. The Falcons continued to run the ball with their two standout backs, who eclipsed 200 yards on the day and won them the game with a hard fought, time-sapping, late-fourth quarter drive that finally offered too much for the Vikings outstanding defense to live with. After an offside penalty on 4th & 1, the Vikings let Tyler Allgeier walk in for the game’s first touchdown with 3:22 left in the game to give them the time to potential mount a comeback that was never going to materialise.
The Vikings muffed a punt and handled the ball back to the Falcons with just 20 seconds left. Exactly how the game deserved to end. A horrible watch. Both teams move to 1-1 but look a long way short of being playoff bound.
Two Up
- Bijan Robinson – pure volume and elite change of direction was enough for Robinson to put up a monster night on the ground with 168 yards on 25 touches. He didn’t find the end zone but he was dominant with 6.5 yards per carry and is firmly established as the focal point of this offense
- Tyler Allgeier – as good as Robinson was, Allgeier once again saw plenty of opportunities out of the backfield to make an impact – 17 touches for 80 yards and the game’s only touchdown will go nicely for a solid flex option for fantasy purposes
Three Down
- Justin Jefferson – salvaging his fantasy output in Week 1 with a late touchdown grab, there was no such miracle this week as the Vikings offense couldn’t get anywhere near the red zone with McCarthy misfiring and the offensive line porous. Jefferson was only targeted four times until some late fourth quarter garbage time yards. He needs to be McCarthy’s go to early in games.
- J.J. McCarthy – what could go wrong did go wrong for the sophomore quarterback who felt like Caleb Williams did last week with a hostile home crowd staring him down through a disastrous night on offense. McCarthy turned the ball over three times with two interceptions, the second an errant throw way off target. There’s too many issues with this offense that you worry about where to start.
- Aaron Jones – the veteran running back once again saw Jordan Mason lead the backfield in touches and to make matters worse, he was seen without his helmet in the fourth quarter struggling with a hamstring injury.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr.: 13/21, 135 Yards, 3 Sacks | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
After a tough first half throwing the ball, Penix Jr. was relegated to game manager in the second half as the Falcons pounded the rock and run down the clock to see out the game. Mainly due to a complete offensive meltdown from the Vikings, the Falcons quarterback didn’t have to do much to safeguard Atlanta’s lead. When he did drop back, he mainly relied on safe throws over the middle. When the game was still in the balance in the third quarter, Penix Jr. was hit hard on two sacks that ended drives – a mauling hit from Jonathan Greenard was the last risk the Falcons took. The fourth quarter simply consisted of hand-offs from the second-year quarterback. He also didn’t attempt a run or scramble, with his only rushing yardage a kneel down for stats purposes.
Notes
- The noise and atmosphere inside US Bank Stadium played havoc with Penix’s composure and timing on the opening series resulting in two penalties on a promising opening drive that made them settle for a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down. After the Vikings then turned it over on fourth down, Penix saw two throws dropped that were definitely catchable – first, Robinson near the goal line, and then Darnell Mooney in the back of the end zone on a scrambled play.
- Penix didn’t seem to be on the same page as his receivers in the red zone on a number of drives, with Mooney running the wrong way near the end of the half on a well covered route before Ray-Ray McCloud saw a ball sail out of bounds near the goal line.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 22 Carries, 143 Yards | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 25 Yards
The star running back for the Falcons made a splash with back-to-back rushes on the opening drive for a combined 42 yards as he broke a number of tackles in Zac Robinson‘s favored outside-zone run scheme. The ground game was the key for the Falcons in the first half as Robinson averaged over eight yards per touch across 11 opportunities, with additional yards after contact standing out on the tape. If anything you could argue they didn’t go to Robinson enough, especially in the red zone. That was immediately put right on the Falcons’ opening drive of the half, with the running back taking six touches for 48 yards on the way to another field goal. He was an integral part of the offensive on the touchdown drive that sealed the game in the fourth quarter, however he gave up the goal line work to running mate Allgeier for the score. After totalling just 24 yards on the ground in Week 1, this was more like what fantasy managers were expecting from the star back. It’s his second 100+ yards from scrimmage game. Happy fantasy days!
Tyler Allgeier: 16 Carries, 76 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
A lead back for at least half of the teams in the league, Allgeier showed why he is such a weapon with a couple of power first-half carries that moved the sticks for the Falcons. He was stuffed on third down deep in the red zone at the start of the second half as he and Robinson effectively moved the ball down the field. However, given ample opportunity to carry the ball with the Vikings continuing to hand the ball back to Atlanta in the second half, Allgeier made his opportunities count with runs of 13 yards and 17 yards on the way to a touchdown-icing performance. For those that gambled on a flex play, this was the perfect outcome.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 49 Yards, Fumble (Lost)
Despite seeing his catch and run into Vikings terrotory in the first half halted by Eric Wilson’s punch out (resulting in a turnover), London showed up for his team int he second half with two impressive routes that resulted in large gains. London caught a 21-yard pass over the middle on 1St & 20 to kick-start the Falcons touchdown drive that settled the game in the fourth quarter. With only four targets across the contest, he failed to muster over 55 yards for the second straight week despite a healthy 19 targets so far over two games. He is the legitimate WR1 but it’s hard to see the fantasy production coming out of such a run heavy offense.
Kyle Pitts Sr.: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 37 Yards
For the second straight week, Pitts stood out with a couple of nice grabs that moved the chains on third down. The much-promised tight end saw a healthy eight looks from his quarterback in Week 1 and followed it up with another five looks in this game despite hte Falcons adopting a run-heavy approach. He caught 8-yard and 14-yard passes on both the first two scoring drives before taking a backseat to London in the second half as the main outlet.
Darnell Mooney: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards
Ray-Ray McCloud III: 2 Targets
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
J.J. McCarthy: 11/21, 158 Yards, 2 INT, 6 Sacks | 5 Carries, 25 Yards, 3 Fumbles (1 Lost)
A disappointing night for the second-year quarterback, who could not muster the magic he showed in Week 1 to bring his team back for the win. An overthrown deep ball in front of Jalen Nailor when trailing by two scores midway through the fourth quarter summed up the misfiring quarterback’s night, as the crowd in Minnesota started to realise that one sensational quarter of football and seven bad ones don’t make an elite quarterback. Kevin O’Connell looked extremely frustrated throughout the night and despite the protection for his quarterback not being nearly as good as he would have hoped, he also knew that McCarthy did not play well enough to move this offense down the field. McCarthy didn’t help himself with a number of pre-snap penalties and issues handling the ball after the snap. McCarthy only targeted star wideout Jefferson four times, which is baffling. There is a long road ahead in Minnesota.
Notes
- The Vikings turned it over on downs on their own 36-yard line on the opening drive with a botched quarterback sneak that McCarthy failed to handle properly and by the time he did he was already sandwiched under a pile of bodies short of the line to gain. Indeed, it was another slow start from this offense with only 23 yards in the first quarter despite McCarthy making a couple of nice throws on the drive after the defense had caused the London fumble – a tough contested 19-yard grab from veteran Adam Thielen took them down to the 2-yard line but another botched snap and a delay of game penalty stunted the drive and McCarthy took back-to-back sacks to see a touchdown opportunity go begging.
- McCarthy had to deal with two different centers, high and low snaps, and poor protection from stand-in left tackle Justin Skule in the first half. Those things combined with an impressive display from Atlanta’s defensive front led to five sacks in the first half and a few were heavy hits. However, at the end of the half a bullet to Jefferson over the middle resulted in a 50-yard gain that allowed the Vikings to kick a field goal to make it a 3-point game at the half.
- McCarthy was nearly picked again on a similar type of throw that led to the first interception – on the opening drive of the second half, on a third-and-short, McCarthy underthrew tight end T.J. Hockenson and Bowman once again jump the route and got two hands on the ball before it hit the ground in the process of him attempting to catch the ball.
Running Back
Jordan Mason: 9 Carries, 30 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
On a night where the offense only had 46 plays, it wasn’t a surprise that the running back room didn’t see many looks on the ground. The Vikings offense couldn’t stay on the field and neither Mason or Jones found much room to run. Mason did show signs of life in the third quarter but an explosive 18-yard run was called back for a holding penalty, which on replay looked pretty soft all considering. Still, Mason passes the eye test as a dynamic runner more than the older Jones, and so far he is leading the charge for volume.
Aaron Jones Sr.: 5 Carries, 23 Yards | 1 Target
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Justin Jefferson: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 81 Yards
Aside from a 50-yard connection with his quarterback on a chance play at the end of the first half that put the Vikings in field goal range, it was slim pickings for the best wide receiver in the NFL as his quarterback struggled mightily in all aspects of executing the offense. Under constant pressure thanks to an inspired Falcons defensive line, McCarthy twice aimed balls at Jefferson but saw them fall short of the target due to the rushed nature of the throw. What troubles me more than these misfires is the apparent lack of game plan to pepper Jefferson with targets, something that you think an offensive mind like O’Connell would ensure to help his young signal-caller. Late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, Jefferson caught a 22-yard pass from McCarthy to get the Vikings knocking on the door. But the very next play a pass thrown (somewhere) near Jefferson was easily picked off – it wasn’t the receiver’s fault, a clear throwing error. Despite connecting for a touchdown last week, this relationship is still very much on the brink.
Jalen Nailor: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 31 Yards
After a fantastic grab in Week 1 just before the half that turned the momentum against the Bears, Nailor looked to build on that rapport with McCarthy early in this game. He hauled in a tough catch on a short ball for his quarterback’s first completion of the day before grabbing a 17-yard ball deep in the Falcons red zone on arguably Minnesota’s best drive of the game in the second quarter. Nailor is a talented route runner and has shown good ability at the catch. A little like KJ Osborn before him, he has not been given further opportunities to develop.
Adam Thielen: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 26 Yards
The veteran’s only meaningful contribution was a 19-yard grab on 3rd & 18 early in the second quarter on a drive that mustered the Vikings’ first points of the game. It was on a rare occasion that McCarthy looked confident in the pocket and stepped into the throw beautifully. After dropping a catch last week that he should have held onto through completing the catch, it was another disappointing evening for the Vikings legend, who looks nothing more than a bit part player through two games on his return to Minnesota.
T.J. Hockenson: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
The big tight end was a fantasy revelation in 2023 but a bad injury and managed-season in 2024 curtailed his progress. However, the hope was that he would once again rekindle the pass-catching opportunities that saw him hit 960 yards two years ago. He was virtually anonymous in the first half and was then targeted for the interception in the second. He only caught his first pass of the day deep into the fourth quarter. Across two games we haven’t seen him featured in the play calling, or generating any chemistry with his new quarterback.