The Vikings aerial attack flew high against a Falcons squad led by former Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins (2018-23), who visited U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since signing with Atlanta in the offseason.
Attendance for the game was announced at 67,008, which is the second-largest for a Vikings game at the venue that opened in 2016. The only game with more in attendance was the 2019 Border Battle, so intrigue was high with the matchup.
Cousins opened the game 4-of-5 passing with the only incompletion a drop on his first attempt. He followed with completions of 28 yards to Darnell Mooney on third-and-8 and 16 to Drake London on second-and-15. With goal-to-go, the Falcons kept it on the ground, and Tyler Allgeier rumbled for a 6-yard touchdown.
Cousins finished 23-of-37 passing for 344 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 70.1.
Darnold’s first pass of the day was batted at the line of scrimmage, but he followed with a 16-yard strike to Jordan Addison on third-and-5. Minnesota’s first possession, however, was upended after the Vikings advanced to the Falcons 37-yard line. Darnold was sacked by Eddie Goldman and Arnold Ebiketie on consecutive plays.
But as he’s shown multiple times, he bounced back, and so did the Vikings through a couple of rough patches to seize control in the fourth quarter.
