The Atlanta Falcons can be a good team. There’s talent here, and smart coaches who sometimes coax remarkable stretches out of this group, and potential that has still not been entirely realized.
But these Falcons are not a good team now. One phase or multiple phases fall to pieces every game of late, and now they’ve lost four games in a row. This time, defensive lapses in the secondary led to five Sam Darnold touchdown passes, while holding calls and an ill-timed Kirk Cousins interception on offense slowed their attack enough to allow Minnesota to triumph. Again and again, opportunities turned into mistakes, and that has too often been the tale for a talented but deeply flawed team in 2024.
With the Buccaneers easily beating the Raiders, the Falcons are now behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South and under .500. They’ll have to be basically perfect the rest of the way to have a prayer of catching Tampa Bay, given the Bucs’ easy schedule, and there’s no real reason to believe this team has anything approaching perfection in them given the way this season has unfolded. It’s discouraging, it’s not what we wanted, it’s not what the Falcons hoped for, but it is reality. This team simply can’t play clean enough football to overcome their weaknesses, and their very real strengths are erased by the frequency and caliber of mistakes they make. In a competitive NFC, those flaws are too much.
We’ll see what they have in them down the stretch, but the fact that they went from 6-3 to 6-7 and have gotten absolutely clobbered by contenders two out of the past three weeks likely tells the tale. The Falcons have hard decisions to make this coming offseason barring a sharp turnaround, but for the moment all we can do is bemoan their many blown opportunities and hope for better over the final four weeks of the season. For the sake of your mental health, I’m just not sure you should expect better.
Here’s the drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched, and I apologize for throwing some first quarter plays in the second quarter owing to interception-related angst.
1st Quarter
The Falcons elected to receive, and it was a touchback. A toss to Bijan Robinson went for close to 12 yards. Robinson then picked up a couple of yards on first down. Then Kirk Cousins threw a screen for Ray-Ray McCloud that he dropped. On third down, Cousins had time and launched a nice one to Darnell Mooney for 29 yards downfield. On first down, though, Robinson couldn’t find room and lost yardage. Then Cousins zipped one to Drake London for about 15 yards and a first down, with London spinning out of contact to pick it up. Bijan then got nothing on first down. A quick pass to Robinson went for three yards. A quick catch for McCloud got about six yards, setting up a 4th and 1. Robinson then powered through for a first down, and then Tyler Allgeier took the next carry and bulled his way through a well-blocked lane for a touchdown. 7-0 Falcons to kick things off.
The Vikings took the kickoff to about the 30. The first Sam Darnold pass was tipped by Zach Harrison and fell incomplete. Aaron Jones took the next carry for about five yards. and then Darnold found Jordan Addison on the sideline for a first down. Jones then took it 12 yards on first down. Jones then got four yards, and then Eddie Goldman came flying in more or less unblocked to take down Darnold for a sack and a loss of nearly 10 yards. Then Arnold Ebiketie spun his way to another sack, his third in the past two weeks, and it was 4th and 22. Punt, and about a ten yard return from Avery Williams.
Cousins found Mooney wide open about 20 yards downfield for an easy first down. Robinson got about three on first down, and then he picked up five yards on second down by cutting back inside. Allgeier then took it up the gut for about six yards and a first down, and followed that up with about five yards. On second down, Cousins had no time for the play action pass and had to get rid of it, with Dallas Turner coming in poorly blocked. Cousins then went to throw it again with a defender in his face and it was knocked down. On fourth down, Cousins went for McCloud but he was tightly covered and it fell incomplete. Turnover on downs.
Jones took it 13 yards on first down. Then a comedy of errors ensued, as Sam Darnold threw a very weak deep ball, Mike Hughes lost Jordan Addison because of it, Justin Simmons took a bad angle to the ball and fell down, and Addison caught it and scored a touchdown. 7-7 tie.
Bijan took it eight yards on first down with excellent blocking. On second down, he picked up two yards and a first down. Bijan then cut it back inside for 13 yards. On the next play, Cousins threw a pick, targeting London with time after a huge block from Bijan but simply not seeing the defender underneath. Turnover.
Three yard gain for Jones, and then Grady Jarrett brought pressure and forced an off-kilter throw that didn’t make it to Addison. Darnold then scrambled and nearly got a first down, but Jessie Bates picked him up about two yards shy of the first. Punt.
Allgeier took it five yards, and then took a toss three yards. Allgeier lined up as the fullback on the next play and powered it up the middle for three yards and a first down.
2nd Quarter
Sorry, I didn’t notice that we had moved to the second quarter, such was my rage for the interception. Robinson then took it a yard on another toss, and Charlie Woerner made a diving grab over the middle for a first down. A false start on Chris Lindstrom backed the Falcons up five yards. Robinson caught the screen and got about five yards. And then a zippy pass to McCloud went for seven yards. On third down, Cousins had pressure and couldn’t get away from it, and he was sacked. Punt, and a fair catch around the 12…except there was a penalty on the play and the Falcons had it on 4th and 2 and elected to go for it, except they failed to get a play off and got a delay of game. The ensuing punt was a touchback.
Darnold couldn’t find an open man and had to run it, picking up five yards. Then there was simply no one open and Darnold couldn’t escape, as Kaden Elliss got close and then Matthew Judon took him down for a sack. A 21 yarder to Justin Jefferson followed, unfortunately. Then Mike Hughes got called for pass interference working against Jordan Addison downfield, as he dragged him down, and the Vikings were inside the 20. A trick play wound up losing four yards, as the team tried multiple laterals and then a quick pass to Addison. Elliss then blew into the backfield and hit Darnold as he threw, leading to an incompletion. Sam Darnold was then hit as he threw again by both Elliss and Ebiketie, and Clark Phillips picked up the fumble and returned it to midfield, fumbling it before Ebiketie picked it up, but it was ultimately ruled an incomplete pass. The 39 yard field goal try by Will Reichard was good. A defensive holding call on Atlanta gave the Vikings an automatic first down, however, and Cam Akers took it for a one yard loss. A quick swing pass to Addison went for about six yards. Then Darnold found Jefferson for a touchdown. 14-7 Vikings.
The Falcons got the touchback. On a productive first down run, Matthew Bergeron was called for holding. A quick pass to McCloud got about four yards. McCloud then got the first down, picking up seventeen yards and managing to get out of bounds. Cousins then tucked it and ran for a first down, but a holding call on Lindstrom got it called back. McCloud then got a screen and picked up about 12 yards. Cousins tried Pitts over the middle, but he simply didn’t catch a nice ball. Then Cousins threw it downfield for Mooney (a very, very pretty ball) and got him inside the 10 yard line. Bijan then took it about six yards and got the Falcons close to the goal line. Robinson was then stymied by the Vikings defense for no gain. The ball to London on third down was then tipped. Younghoe Koo then hit the easy field goal try to make it 14-10 Vikings.
The Vikings kneeled out the half.
3rd Quarter
The Vikings got the touchback. Aaron Jones picked it up on first down and got five yards. A quick pass to T.J. Hockenson got 11 yards and the first down. Another quick pass to Jones went for six yards, with Justin Simmons stopping it cold. Jones got nowhere on the second down run, with Grady Jarrett and Eddie Goldman getting there. Another pass to Hockenson got 18 yards after the Falcons couldn’t get to Darnold. Jones took it about six yards on first down, and a pass to Josh Oliver from Darnold under pressure was dropped, and an offensive pass interference call made it 2nd and long. Kaden Elliss then got a sack, the team’s fourth of the game, and then Darnold threw one to Jefferson for 16 but that resulted in a field goal try. Will Reichard hit the upright, though, and it was not good.
Robinson got eaten up on the next carry for a small loss. Cousins then threw one as he was being hit, and it luckily fell incomplete. London then made an incredible catch, stealing it away from Shaq Griffin as the referees ruled it a grab for him, but given the fight Kevin O’Connell threw the challenge flag for Minnesota. It was not overturned. Cousins then had another pass batted down. Robinson then picked up seven yards on the ground. Another McCloud pass converted the third down, and McCloud picked up a lot of yardage to get the Falcons into the red zone. Robinson then fought his way through contact for a big gain, but a holding call on Drew Dalman backed it up. Robinson then picked up three yards. Then Cousins tried to throw a screen to McCloud, but it was tipped and fell incomplete, which is better than a pick six. Robinson then took a carry to pick up a few yards and set up a short field goal try. Younghoe Koo hit it from 29 yards out to make it 14-13 Vikings.
Ty Chandler took the kickoff out but ended up tackled at the 24. Darnold then hit a galloping Jefferson on the sideline for 16 yards. Jones then took it for two yards. Darnold simply overthrew it on second down out of bounds. On the next play, Darnold escaped pressure and threw it downfield, catching a wide open Justin Jefferson thanks to a slip in coverage. Touchdown and 21-13, Vikings.
The Falcons got it back and Tyler Allgeier took it 20 something yards, and followed that up with a four yard plunge up the middle. Drake London then reeled in the second down pass on the sideline and attempted to vault a defender, still picking up 13 yards. A screen to McCloud went for a first down and maybe 15 yards. Bijan then galloped through the line basically untouched and rolled in for a touchdown. Bijan then took it again and crossed the plane for a two point conversion to tie things up. 21-21 tie.
The Vikings kicked things off with a false start. Cam Akers was then dropped for a two yard loss. Grady Jarrett was then called for an defensive offsides to make it 2nd and 12.
4th Quarter
The Vikings converted the first down to Hockenson. Then Darnold tried the deep ball to Addison working against Phillips, and he got it after dropping it inside where Phillips wasn’t looking. On the next play, Darnold tried Hockenson but threw it too high, with Hockenson working against Phillips. A quick screen to Jefferson went for four yards. Another touchdown pass to Addison followed, with Dee Alford looking unready for A.J. Terrell not passing off Jefferson. 28-21 Vikings.
Ray-Ray McCloud took it past the 30 on the kickoff, but then fumbled it and Minnesota recovered.
Jones took it about six yards, and then Darnold threw it to Jefferson for a first down. A siwng pass to Jones picked up about eight yards. A quick out to Hockenson went nowhere. And then Addison caught one at the one yard line and his knee was down before he fumbled, luckily for him. Darnold’s sneak went nowhere, and then Jones powered through contact to take it in for the end zone, but a five yard illegal shift penalty backed Minnesota up. Then Darnold hit Addison again, with a missed tackle contributing to a touchdown. 35-21 Vikings.
After the touchback, Cousins came out firing and hit Mooney over the middle to get close to midfield. Cousins then was hit by Blake Cashman on a blitz and it was an incomplete pass. Another pass to McCloud went for nine yards. Allgeier then plunged ahead for a first down and a few yards. Then Cousins hit Pitts for 14 yards and the tight end got out of bounds. Then Cousins tried Pitts again but overthrew him, and the Vikings defender made a one-handed interception. Turnover.
With the ball on the two yard line and a fumbled snap, the Falcons got hit with a penalty to give the Vikings five yards. Jones then picked up four yards. Then the Falcons jumped again. The Vikings got 24 yards, and then Akers picked up a first down. Then Lorenzo Carter had Akers dead in the backfield, but committed a facemask penalty. Josh Oliver then caught it for a major gain. Jones picked up two yards, and then just got back to the line of scrimmage before he was stopped by Phillips. Jones then found room up the middle to score again to make it 42-21 Vikings.
A quick pickup on the ground, a Cousins dart to Mooney on the sideline for a first down, and then maybe five yards for Robinson. Cousins then hit London for a first down, but a penalty backed the Falcons up five yards. Then Cousins hit Pitts over the middle for a pickup, but a defensive offsides helped Minnesota out. Robinson then took it about seven yards, and then Cousins hit Mooney again. A false start on the Falcons moved them back five yards, and a handoff to McCloud went for only a couple of yards. A quick pass to London went for six yards. The end zone pass to Pitts was broken up on third down. On fourth down, Cousins tried Pitts again and it was off his hands. Turnover on downs.
The Vikings kneeled it out. Game over.
