Inside The Vikings

5 things that stood out from Vikings' dominant win over Falcons

Kirk Cousins struggled in his return to Minnesota, while Sam Darnold shined with a standout performance.

Nolan O'Hara

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) looks to throw against the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Dec. 8, 2024.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) looks to throw against the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Dec. 8, 2024. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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The Vikings spoiled Kirk Cousins' return to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, dominating the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 on Sunday afternoon for their sixth straight victory. Minnesota improved to 11-2 on the season with the latest win. The team is knocking on the door of a playoff spot and could officially clinch the postseason as early as later Sunday afternoon.

Here are five things that stood out from the latest Vikings victory:

A not-so-warm welcome back for Cousins

The storyline of the day was how Cousins would fare in his return to U.S. Bank Stadium. It's probably safe to say that his assessment of playing on the opposing sideline in Minneapolis was ultimately: "I don't like that." Vikings fans sure did.

Cousins' day started with boos from the formerly friendly U.S. Bank Stadium crowd. It didn't get much better from there for Cousins and the Falcons, who entered Sunday's matchup on a three-game losing streak after a 6-3 start to the year.

Over the three-game skid, Cousins hadn't thrown a touchdown pass while racking up six interceptions, including four last week. The Vikings extended that stretch for Cousins to four straight losses and eight picks without a touchdown pass.

Ultimately, Cousins completed 23-of-37 passes for 344 yards and two interceptions. His second pick, late in the fourth quarter to Byron Murphy Jr., all but sealed the game with the Falcons down 35-21 with 6 minutes, 34 seconds remaining.

Darnold delivers

While the storyline entering the game was all centered around Cousins and his return, on the field, it was the quarterback who replaced him under center with the Vikings, Sam Darnold, who delivered every time his team needed it.

With the Vikings trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Darnold hit Jordan Addison for a 49-yard touchdown pass. When the Falcons cut it to 14-13 in the third quarter, Darnold extended a play and found Justin Jefferson for a 52-yard score. And when the Falcons tied it at 21-21, Darnold led the Vikings right down the field and hit Addison for another 11-yard score.

Overall, Darnold completed 22-of-28 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns, the most in a single game in his career.

If anything validated the Vikings' decision to move on at the quarterback position, it was Darnold's performance Sunday.

Dynamic receiving duo

Jefferson hadn't scored a touchdown since a loss to the Detroit Lions all the way back on Oct. 20. That drought ended in the second quarter, when Darnold found him for a 12-yard touchdown pass just before halftime for a 14-7 lead.

Jefferson's big day was only beginning. In the third quarter, Darnold escaped pressure from the Falcons, rolled out to the right and found Jefferson wide open at the goal line for a 52-yard touchdown pass and a 21-13 Vikings lead.

Jefferson had an incredible game with seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The only thing overshadowing it was the fact that his partner in crime, Addison, caught eight passes for 133 yards and three scores.

Addison caught a 49-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that knotted the game at 7-7 and an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put the Vikings up 28-21. Addison's 6-yard touchdown reception on the next drive in the third quarter was essentially the dagger, giving the Vikings a 35-21 lead with 8 minutes, 23 seconds remaining in the game.

Big-time turnover

After the Falcons knotted the game at 21-21, Darnold marched the Vikings right back down the field and made it a seven-point game again after an 11-yard touchdown pass to Addison. On the ensuing kickoff, it looked like Ray-Ray McCloud was going to set the Falcons up with pretty good field position, but Brian Asamoah knocked the ball out of his hands.

The Vikings recovered, and Darnold found Addison again for a 6-yard touchdown and a 35-21 lead.

That was pretty much all she wrote. Cousins threw the pick to Murphy on the ensuing Falcons drive, which sealed their fate.

Two big calls — one for and one against the Vikings

There were two game-changing calls in Sunday's game — one in the first half and one in the second half. The Vikings were the beneficiaries of the first, and it resulted in a touchdown. The second turned into a field goal for the Falcons.

Late in the second quarter, Darnold was sacked on third-and-long. The Falcons forced the Vikings to turn to Will Reichard for a 39-yard field goal, which made it a 10-7 game with the halftime break on the horizon. But not so fast — Atlanta's Kentavius Street was called for a defensive holding penalty, keeping the Vikings' drive alive after an automatic first down.

Three plays later, Darnold found Jefferson for a 12-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 Vikings lead.

In the third quarter, Cousins fired a pass downfield that fell into the hands of Vikings quarterback Shaq Griffin. Fortunately for Cousins, it also fell into the hands of Drake London, his top receiver. They wrestled for the ball as they fell to the turf.

The call on the field was a reception for London and a 20-yard gain for the Falcons. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell didn't like the ruling and challenged the play, but to no avail. The call on the field stood, Minnesota lost a timeout and Atlanta was able to keep the drive alive, with it eventually culminating in a 29-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo that cut the Falcons' deficit to 14-13 with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Those points allowed Atlanta to later tie it up.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

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