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…And the downward skid continues. On Sunday at the U.S Bank Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons suffered a 42-21 blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It didn't look like a one-sided affair for a good part of the game, considering how the score was tied at 21 all after three quarters. However, the Vikings found the endzone thrice in the final 15 minutes of play, much to the dismay of the visiting team.
The Falcons garnered their fourth straight loss, which now puts them below .500 (6-7 record). They've lost five out of their last seven games, and even worse, they aren't the NFC South's top team anymore. Ahead of Week 14, the Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were tied at 6-6 apiece. As Atlanta lost to Minnesota, the Buccaneers bested the Las Vegas Raiders, marking a switch at the top of the conference after nearly two months.
Can the Falcons bounce back? It's possible, judging by how the tail-end of their schedule looks quite manageable. Nevertheless, even wins against bottom-of-the-barrell teams won't be guaranteed until Atlanta fixes the issues that keep holding them back. And on Sunday, there were plenty of those. Without further ado, here are the culprits of the Week 14 loss.
Kirk Cousins' slump, plus other errors
Kirk Cousins made his return to Minnesota, but it didn't go how the quarterback would've liked. While he did manage to tally 344 passing yards, Cousins finished without a touchdown and two interceptions. The second of those interceptions happened when Atlanta was grasping at straws in the fourth. Down by 14 points, the Falcons were able to push the ball to the Minnesota 25 with less than six minutes remaining. Cousins, however, overthrew a potential TD pass intended for Kyle Pitts. The ball landed at the hands of cornerback Byron Murphy, and the Vikings managed to score another touchdown in the ensuing drive.
Though the Falcons' last four games, Cousins has yet to find the endzone. He's also been picked off eight times in that same span, with six of those interceptions occurring in the two most recent games. As things currently stand, Cousins is the NFL leader this season in interceptions (15).
To be fair, Cousins' turnovers weren't the only errors on Sunday. With 13 minutes to go in the fourth, the Vikings held a 28-21 lead following a Jordan Addison TD. In the ensuing kickoff return, Ray-Ray McCloud managed to run for 31 yards before fumbling the ball, which was recovered by Minnesota fullback C.J. Ham. The Vikings scored another touchdown on the next drive to extend their lead to double digits.
Furthermore, Atlanta amassed a total of 12 penalties for 127 yards. This is unusual for a team that averages 5.6 penalties per game — a conservative amount relative to many other NFL teams.
Secondary struggles
Sam Darnold played the game of his life on Sunday. The Vikings QB threw for a career-high five touchdowns and 347 yards on an efficient 22-of-28 attempts. Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson were the recipients of all his TD passes, and both receivers combined for 265 yards on 15 catches.
So who's to blame for all this? Certainly not Atlanta's defensive front — while the Falcons in general struggle to take down QBs (1.3 sacks per game), they were able to sack Darnold four times, following up on a five-sack performance against the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend. That leaves the secondary out in the open in this case.
Just look at these two examples, starting with Addison's first TD of the game. On the verge of being sacked, Darnold fired a deep right Hail Mary to his receiver, who managed to haul in the 49-yard pass and evade two defenders in coverage for a walk-in score. Justin Jefferson's 52-yard TD catch was even more disheartening for the Falcons. Again, Darnold found himself pressured, scrambling before he threw a long pass to Jefferson. The thing is, Jefferson was wide open, as cornerback Dee Alford fell to the ground following a wrong read in coverage.
Four regular season games remain. If the Falcons want a U-turn, they'll have to step up on both sides of the ball.
