ATL at MIN: Vikings Get the Chance to Keep the Bad Times Going for Kirk Cousins
ATL at MIN: Week 14
On November 3rd, Kirk Cousins tossed some touchdown passes in a game against the Dallas Cowboys. He hasn’t done so since.
The veteran passer has participated in a trio of games and had a bye week since the Dallas contest. There haven’t been any touchdown passes but there have been a half dozen interceptions, including 4 INTs in his most recent game. Minnesota, as you may have heard, currently leads the NFL in interceptions with 18. Any chance Cousins tosses a few more footballs away in his return to U.S. Bank Stadium?
ATL at MIN: Vikings Get their Shot at Kirk Cousins
Lead a team to wins and a lot of sins will be forgiven. Sam Darnold has been far from perfect in 2024, but he has led the Vikings to a 10-2 record. Easy to overlook the miscues when the team has an elite record.
At 6-6, the Falcons don’t have that luxury. The NFC South team is on a three-game losing streak and is in danger of missing the postseason if they don’t turn things around. Cousins, to be sure, is a major part of the mix as the QB1 who is being paid a boatload of money.
Stunningly, the week has featured discussion about whether Cousins should get benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. To be sure, Penix is the future at QB in Atlanta — sinking the No. 8 pick into him confirms as much — but most expected the young passer to sit back and learn for a couple of seasons before taking over. Does Cousins’ recent poor play accelerate things in Atlanta? Again, this is a team that’s making a push for the postseason.
Consider, for instance, the word from Jim Trotter of The Athletic: “it’s hard to watch Cousins in recent weeks and not wonder if it’s time to take a look at rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the strong-armed southpaw who was selected eighth overall.”
Trotter goes on: “It has been said that once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern. What we’re seeing from Cousins in recent weeks is a noticeable pattern that, at the very least, warrants situational playing time for Penix, who has earned glowing reviews behind the scenes for his work in practice.”
The question at this stage is whether Minnesota ends up putting Cousins on the bench. Assume, for the sake of argument, that Kirk Cousins puts together a horrendous opening half as Minnesota storms out to a large lead. Does Penix get the nod in the second half as Atlanta searches for a spark?
Atlanta’s roster, of course, extends beyond just the perpetually-controversial Cousins.
On offense, Drake London (the WR1), Kyle Pitts (the TE1), and Bijan Robinson (the RB1) are going to be tough to corral. The final name — Robinson — seems particularly important. The runner comes in as the 2nd-best RB on PFF. His 193 carries have gone for 885 yards and 7 scores. With just 56 targets, Robinson has snagged 51 catches for 392 yards and 1 touchdown. Blake Cashman and Josh Metellus (among others) will have their hands full matching up with the talented runner.
On defense, Grady Jarrett is a monster at defensive tackle. At 31, Jarrett is a bit older but he’s going against the weakest part of Minnesota’s offense — the interior o-line — so it’s very possible that he adds onto his 2.5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. On the backend, watch out for safety Jessie Bates.
The offseason involved me insisting that Atlanta would emerge victorious. I’ll reverse course and instead argue that it will be Minnesota that comes out on top. All aboard the train to 11-2.
Official Prediction: Vikings 28 – Falcons 17
Prediction Record: 9-3
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
In Back-to-Back Weeks, Sam Darnold Has Shown Off a Critical QB1 Ability
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.