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It goes without saying that the Atlanta Falcons are in desperate need of a win. Equally important, Kirk Cousins is in dire need of a bounce-back performance. Week 14 offers him a unique opportunity to do just that against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings.
The Falcons (6-6) are currently riding a three-game losing streak and barely clinging to their NFC South division lead. Facing one of the league’s top teams in the Vikings (10-2) couldn’t come at a worse time for Atlanta.
For Cousins, this matchup marks a homecoming to Minnesota, where he enjoyed the most success of his NFL career. But success has been elusive for the veteran quarterback lately. Cousins now leads the league in turnovers with 15. Interestingly, just behind him on that list is Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold with 14, adding another layer of intrigue to this NFC showdown.
With the season winding down and the margin for error rapidly shrinking, Sunday’s game feels like a must-win for the Falcons. Losing four straight could very well signal a lost season. With that, let’s dive into our Falcons bold predictions versus the Vikings in Week 14.
Falcons defense sacks Sam Darnold three times
The Falcons' defense continues to hold the unenviable title of worst in the league in sacks by a wide margin. Atlanta has just 15 sacks on the season, trailing even their division rival, the Carolina Panthers, who sit at 21. However, there was a glimmer of hope last week against the Chargers, when the Falcons put together their best pass-rushing performance of the year.
Atlanta recorded a season-high five sacks in Week 13, surpassing their previous best of three against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. Does this signal a turnaround for the Falcons' pass rush? Not necessarily. While the defensive front may get reinforcements this week as injured players return, their success will largely depend on the matchup. The good news is that they face a Vikings team that ranks ninth worst in the league in sacks allowed, giving up 37 on the year. That’s just marginally worse than the Chargers, who have allowed 35.
While it might be too optimistic to expect another five-sack performance, matching their second-best mark of three seems entirely reasonable for this weekend.
Kirk Cousins throws at least one touchdown, two interceptions, sacked twice
Kirk Cousins' time in Atlanta has had its few high moments, but those are quickly being overshadowed by a string of poor performances. Over his last three games, Cousins has failed to throw a single touchdown while tossing six interceptions, stalling the Falcons' offense in the process.
Last week, an early pick-six against the Los Angeles Chargers set the tone for what ultimately became a tight game. Despite having multiple opportunities to win, Cousins sealed Atlanta's fate with interceptions on the team’s final two drives. He threw four interceptions total in the loss to the Chargers, matching a career-high.
That was against a solid Chargers defense, but things only get tougher this weekend, even if Minnesota does rank 28th in passing defense. The Vikings head into Week 14 boasting one of the league's most disruptive defenses. Minnesota ranks fourth in pressure percentage (27%), second in total pressures (141), fourth in sacks (39), and leads the NFL in interceptions (18).
Cousins’ return to Minnesota could shape up to be a long day if the Falcons’ offense doesn’t find a way to adjust. At the very least, Atlanta will hope Cousins ends his three-game streak without a passing touchdown.
Bijan Robinson has at last 75 yards and a touchdown
The lone Falcon to find the end zone over the past three games has been second-year running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson has accounted for all of Atlanta’s touchdowns in that span, hitting paydirt twice against the Saints and once more last week against the Chargers, while also racking up 102 rushing yards in that game.
Getting Robinson into a rhythm hasn’t always been easy for the Falcons this season. Then again, not much has been easy for this offense. If Kirk Cousins can manage to get the passing game going even slightly, it could help open up opportunities for Robinson on the ground. However, that’s a tall order against a stout Vikings defense that ranks first in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing just 81.3 yards per game and only five rushing touchdowns all season.
Expecting another 100-yard performance from Robinson might be unrealistic in this matchup. A more likely outcome is around 75 yards and, hopefully, another touchdown to keep him as the Falcons’ lone consistent scoring threat.
Falcons keep things close until fourth quarter, lose to the Vikings because of missed Younghoe Koo field goals
There's not much that inspires confidence for the Falcons heading into this game. Even during their winning stretches earlier this season, their inconsistency has been glaring. The struggles aren't just limited to Kirk Cousins anymore—it’s also impacted typically reliable kicker Younghoe Koo. After missing just one field goal all of last season, Koo has now missed eight this year, becoming yet another concern for an already sputtering team.
The motivation will certainly be there for Atlanta, especially with Cousins eager to prove himself against the team that opted not to re-sign him. The Falcons might keep it competitive for a while, but the usual mistakes—like costly turnovers or a couple of missed field goals from Koo—are likely to resurface. In the end, those familiar issues could once again prove to be their undoing.
