Kirk cousins may have been back at US Bank Stadium, his home base for six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, but his Atlanta Falcons were no match for his replacement at quarterback.
Sam Darnold threw five touchdown passes and more than 300 yards to defeat the Falcons, 42-21, to move the Vikings to 11-2 on the season.
Darnold was 22 of 28 for 347 yards with his five scores, while Cousins, while throwing for 344 yards, had no touchdowns and two interceptions.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Jefferson against the Atlanta Falcons at US Bank Stadium. (Matt Krohn-Imagn images)
Cousins ​​has struggled with turnovers in recent weeks, as he had four interceptions in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last week and one in each of the previous two games.
But this game started with a masterclass from the Falcons, running 11 plays and 70 yards to see Tyler Allgeier score the game’s first touchdown.
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However, a turnover on downs on the second Falcons drive ultimately turned the momentum, as Darnold’s first touchdown pass was a broken play to Jordan Addison, who scored three of those five touchdowns, as he caught a 49-yard bomb and ran into the ball. end zone to tie the game after the extra point.
A few rides later, Darnold zipped in a pass Justin Jefferson for a 12-yard score – his first since Week 7, which seems crazy considering he’s the team’s best receiver.
But Darnold wouldn’t just find Jefferson just once. Another broken play came, this time in the second half, in which he also ran in from 52 yards out.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​throws a pass against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium. (Jeffrey Becker-Imagn images)
Addison led the game with 133 receiving yards on eight receptions, but Jefferson was right behind with 132 yards on seven catches.
The Vikings put the game away in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Falcons 21-0, including an Aaron Jones touchdown. Jones had 73 yards on 13 carries that day.
For the Falcons, Bijan Robinson was able to find the end zone and lead the game with 92 rushing yards on 22 carries.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold looks to pitch against the Atlanta Falcons at US Bank Stadium. (Matt Krohn-Imagn images)
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Darnell Mooney was Cousins’ top target with 142 yards on just six catches, while Ray-Ray McCloud had 98 yards on eight receptions.
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