The 4 Main Takeaways from Vikings-Falcons
The Minnesota Vikings possess an 11-2 record after 14 weeks, needing just one more win or Los Angeles Rams’ loss to stamp a ticket toward the postseason.
The 4 Main Takeaways from Vikings-Falcons
Minnesota stomped Kirk Cousins’ Atlanta Falcons by a score of 42-21, its most commanding victory in 11 weeks.
The purple team next plays the Chicago Bears at home, but before that, these are the four main takeaways from Vikings-Falcons.
4. A High-Octane Points Total — Finally
Until Sunday against the Falcons, the last time that Minnesota played dominantly was a Week 4 matchup at Lambeau Field — in the 1st Half. That’s two and a half months.
Few bellyached about the half-dozen wins since then but make no mistake, the Vikings hadn’t crushed anyone since the 1st Half of the Packers game on September 29th.
So, the drought is done.
What’s more, Minnesota banked 42 points versus the Detroit Lions in 2019, marking the last time any version of Vikings had crossed the 40-point mark. Down the stretch of Mike Zimmer’s tenure, plus the first 2.5 years with Kevin O’Connell in charge, the Vikings didn’t have the juice to run up the score.
That all changed against Atlanta in Week 14. They scored 40+ points in a game for the first time in five years. Five whole years.
3. The Offense Won a Game for the Vikings
Let’s face it — the 2024 purple team is a defense-first enterprise. Or that was the slogan until Week 14.
Brian Flores’ defense allowed oodles of yards on the ground and through the air to the Falcons, and in fact, near the very end of the 3rd Quarter, the score was tied at 21.
Then, though, the top popped off the offense as Sam Darnold continued to find Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison through the air for splash plays and memorable, momentous touchdowns.
Arguably for the first time this season, the defense had an “off” game by its standards — it still forced turnovers, however — and the offense shut the door on Atlanta.
2. Darnold Mania
If the 2024 Vikings didn’t belong to Sam Darnold before Sunday, they do now.
This guy is on pace for about 4,300 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Some want Darnold back in the MVP race.
Prior to the win in Week 14, most Vikings fans felt Darnold had done a commendable job as QB1 this season. For the next week, they’ll consider him extraordinary.
1. Franchise Decision-Making Vindicated
Minnesota could’ve lost on Sunday, and the world would not have ended. A 10-3 record inside a season when the club was forecasted for six or seven wins by oddsmakers wouldn’t have felt too damning.
Yet, defeating Kirk Cousins — in emphatic fashion — symbolically ended the Cousins era in the Twin Cities. Cousins is gone, and he won’t return. His replacement, Sam Darnold, outplayed him, tossing 5 touchdowns to no interceptions, while Cousins had no touchdowns to 2 interceptions.
In 2024, Cousins has 17 touchdowns and 27 interceptions + fumbles. Darnold is involved in the MVP rumor mill.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s decision to end the Cousins era reverberated in awe at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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