Vikings Will See 3 Old Friends on Sunday Night
The Minnesota Vikings played against the Atlanta Falcons last season, defeating Kirk Cousins and Co. for the club’s first win of 17+ points in five years.
The Minnesota Vikings lock horns with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, and three dudes will look familiar to Vikings fans.
The two clubs meet at the same spot again in 2025, this time featuring Michael Penix Jr. as Atlanta’s starting quarterback.
And during the contest, Vikings fans will recognize three old pals.
A Few Reunion Angles in Minnesota-Atlanta
Three former Vikings will be on the field Sunday night.
Kirk Cousins | QB2
No stranger — at all — to Vikings fans and debates, Cousins will serve as the QB2 on Sunday night, one snap away from the bright lights of primetime if something happens injury-wise to Penix Jr.
Cousins led the Falcons into U.S. Bank Stadium last year, resulting in a clobbering by his former squad. The 37-year-old has been demoted and now holds the title of the most expensive backup quarterback in NFL history, earning $180 million over four years.
The man quarterbacked the purple team for six seasons between 2018 and 2023.
Kyle Hinton | OG2
Minnesota onboarded Hinton as a 7th-Round selection in 2020 from Washburn during the Rick Spielman era. He remained attached to the roster orbit for three seasons before trying on the Falcons for size in 2023.
Hinton is a backup offensive guard in Atlanta, next in line behind Chris Lindstrom, who has reached the Pro Bowl three times consecutively.
With the Vikings, Hinton appeared in two games in three seasons. He played 5 special teams snaps for the Falcons in a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mike Hughes | CB2
The man who will receive the most playing time on this list, Minnesota drafted Hughes in Round 1 seven years ago, on tap at the time to become the next big thing after Xavier Rhodes at cornerback.
Yet, aside from a fantastic interception return for a touchdown in his first-ever game, Hughes has never lived up to his 1st-Round draft stock, though he’s found staying power in Atlanta.
Hughes tallied a 54.3 Pro Football Focus grade versus Tampa Bay, matching up with Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka. Before that, in 2024, he turned his career around with a commendable 71.9 season-long mark. It’s worth noting that Justin Jefferson torched Hughes last year when the clubs met in the same building.
Bonus: Parker Romo (Practice Squad)
Although unlikely to play, the Falcons signed former Vikings kicker Parker Romo this week. The full-time kicker, Younghoe Koo, struggled in 2024 and missed a game-tying field goal in Week 1.
Romo, on the other hand, kicked fantastically for Minnesota in 2024 when Will Reichard hit the shelf with a bad quad. He latched onto the New England Patriots roster during the offseason, couldn’t win a starter’s job on Mike Vrabel’s team, and is now the next man up if Koo doesn’t rebound.
Parker could make his debut with the Falcons before too long if Koo continues to miss field goals and extra points.
News and Notes on Vikings-Falcons
Vikings Wire‘s Cole Smith predicted that Justin Jefferson will stand off the page on SNF.
He wrote this week, “Jefferson had a sloppy game against the Bears. He caught four passes for 44 yards, although he did come down with McCarthy’s first touchdown. Jefferson had a couple of drops and slipped multiple times on the sloppy surface of Soldier Field. Look for him to bounce back within the controlled confines of U.S. Bank Stadium.”
“He had one of his best games of the year in 2024 when he faced the Falcons, catching seven passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Jefferson won’t have Jordan Addison on the other side this time around, but Jalen Nailor had opportunities to have a much bigger game than his box score indicated in Week 1 against the Bears. The Vikings will try to get Jefferson involved often.”
Smith also pounded the table for Minnesota’s offensive line against Atlanta: “If healthy, the Vikings’ offensive line should hold a significant advantage over the Falcons’ defensive line. Left guard Donovan Jackson (8th), center Ryan Kelly (5th), and Brian O’Neill (5th) were all graded within the top-ten league-wide at their respective positions, per PFF.
“That means more time for McCarthy to throw, and more holes for Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones to run through.”
Oddsmakers believe Minnesota will defeat Atlanta by three or four points, running the 2025 win-loss mark to 2-0.
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