What Minnesota Vikings Fans Need to Know Ahead of Week 2 vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Minnesota Vikings started their regular season with a thrilling win at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears.
Now, the team heads home for their first game in front of fans at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons. Here is a look at what Vikings fans need to know ahead of the home opener.
How to Watch the Minnesota Vikings This Week
The Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings will be featured on Sunday Night Football this weekend. Kickoff will be at 7:20 p.m. on Sunday night, and the game will be broadcast on NBC. It can also be streamed on NFL+ in the NFL app as well as NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTubeTV.
Falcons vs. Vikings History
The Falcons and Vikings have met a grand total of 34 times in the histories of the two franchises, including a pair of playoff matchups with the infamous 1998 NFC Championship Game being one of them. Despite the heartbreak that time around, the Vikings have historically dominated this matchup with a record of 22-12 against the Falcons.
The Vikings have won six of their past seven matchups against the Falcons, including a blowout 42-21 during the 2024 season in Kirk Cousins’ return to U.S. Bank Stadium.
Falcons Spotlight Player: RB Bijan Robinson
The Vikings did a great job of bottling up D’Andre Swift in Week 1 against the Bears, but a whole new challenge awaits with Bijan Robinson in Atlanta’s backfield. The running back totaled 124 yards from scrimmage last week in Atlanta’s close loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which included an explosive 50-yard touchdown reception to begin the game.
That challenge only gets tougher when you consider the injuries faced on Minnesota’s defense. Blake Cashman is on injured reserve and will miss the next four games. Andrew Van Ginkel did not practice again on Thursday due to a concussion. It’s the same story with Jeff Okudah. It will be all hands on deck not only to slow down Robinson, but the entirety of an explosive Falcons offense.
Vikings Spotlight Player: RB Jordan Mason
One way the Vikings can slow down any momentum for the Atlanta offense is by keeping them off the field. That’s where RB Jordan Mason comes in. Mason turned in a solid game during his first appearance as a Viking, totaling 75 total yards.
Based on that Week 1 game, it seems that Mason will be handling the lion’s share of the carries out of Minnesota’s backfield, which makes sense to preserve the health of 31-year-old Aaron Jones. Mason had 15 carries in Week 1 compared to eight for Jones. It will be crucial that the Vikings maintain a consistent running game in Week 2 in order to control the clock and take pressure off of J.J. McCarthy.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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