NFL: Falcons Use Five Field Goals And A Stout Defensive Performance To Down The Vikings

The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Minnesota Vikings 22-6 on a night where their new kicker, John Parker Romo, was successful on all five of his field goal attempts.

The Vikings shot themselves in the foot multiple times throughout the game due to a variety of mistakes. They were penalized eight times for 50 yards. The Vikes also allowed six sacks and turned the ball over four times.

Atlanta’s offense also looked much better than Minnesota’s. The Vikings were held to just 198 yards while the Falcons had 326 yards of offense.

Minnesota had a hard time containing Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who ran for 47 yards on Atlanta’s opening drive. However, a good-looking series for the Dirty Birds was derailed by penalties, and the Falcons settled for a 38-yard field goal to go up 3-0. Atlanta almost burned two timeouts on that possession as they dealt with the loud Minnesota crowd. Robinson finished the game with 168 scrimmage yards and 135 yards on the ground.

The Vikings made a risky decision early on, attempting a quarterback sneak on a 4th and inches from their own 36 yard line. However, the Falcons were prepared and stopped the run play, which gave Atlanta possession of the ball in Minnesota territory.

The Falcons took advantage of the good starting field position. They hit another field goal to improve their lead to 6-0.

Similar to his first start, J.J. McCarthy looked overwhelmed on the Vikings’ first few possessions. On the first drive, he almost fumbled the snap on Minnesota’s fourth-down attempt. He also took a third-down sack on their next series. Though it was only a half-sack, it was the first quarterback takedown of rookie James Pearce Jr.’s career.

Minnesota’s defense was able to make up for the offense’s poor start. Linebacker Eric Wilson punched the ball out of wideout Drake London’s hands. That live ball was picked up by cornerback Theo Jackson for his second career fumble recovery and his first since Week 11 of the 2022 season.

Justin Jefferson recorded his first catch of the night towards the end of the first quarter. With that reception, he tied Larry Fitzgerald as the fastest player to record 500 career catches, reaching that milestone at the age of 26 years and 90 days.

After that, the Vikes finally got into a groove on third down. After starting the game 0/2, they converted their next four third-down attempts. However, rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. recorded sacks on back-to-back plays, forcing Minnesota to take a field goal and settle for a 6-3 deficit in the second quarter.

Atlanta’s first punt didn’t come until there were less than 3:30 left in the second quarter. It wouldn’t make much of a difference, though, because J.J. McCarthy threw an interception to give the Falcons the ball on Minnesota’s side of the field just before the two-minute warning.

The Falcons took advantage of that mistake and moved the ball 23 yards in 1:38. Though their drive stalled out, they hit their third field goal of the evening to take a 9-3 lead. In the first half, these two teams were 0/4 in the red zone.

Justin Jefferson had a 50-yard catch-and-run right before halftime. That allowed the Vikes to hit a field goal as time expired in the second quarter, making it 9-6 at the break.

After forcing a quick three-and-out, Bijan Robinson crossed the century mark by picking up 43 rushing yards on Atlanta’s first drive of the second half. That led to another Falcons field goal to go up 12-6, which would bring this game to the fourth quarter. Atlanta finished the night by going 1/5 in the red zone.

J.J. McCarthy’s evening went from bad to worse to start the final frame. He was sacked and lost a fumble, which was picked up by new Falcons defensive lineman Divine Deablo, giving Atlanta a good starting field position. McCarthy went 11 for 21 passing on the night with 158 passing yards, 30 rushing yards, six sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble.

A poorly-timed sack gave Atlanta a 3rd and 21 at Minnesota’s 39 yard line. The Falcons only picked up three yards on the next play, which led to a 54-yard field goal by John Parker Romo to give Atlanta a 15-6 lead with 11:16 to go in the game.

The Vikings got the ball back and had a chance to make this one close again. On a 3rd and 1, J.J. McCarthy overthrew a wide-open receiver that would have had an easy walk-in touchdown. Instead of getting the TD, the Vikes had to settle for a punt.

Wide receiver Drake London finally made up for his fumble earlier. He had 31 yards on Atlanta’s second possession of the fourth quarter, including a 21-yarder on a 1st and 20. On top of that, backup running back Tyler Allgeier picked up 17 and 13 yards on back-to-back plays to get the Dirty Birds into the red zone. From there, they had a tough decision and ended up going for it on a 4th and 1 at Minnesota’s 11 with 4:08 to go in the game. Michael Penix Jr. managed to get the Vikings’ defense to jump offside, keeping the drive alive. That led to a five-yard touchdown run by Tyler Allgeier, who had 76 rushing yards and the game’s only TD.

The Vikings tried to make a comeback, but that attempt fell flat when J.J. McCarthy threw his second interception of the night. That pass was snagged by Falcons rookie Xavier Watts for his first career INT.

Both of these teams will be playing at 1:00 p.m. EDT next week. The Falcons will be on the road against the Carolina Panthers, while the Vikings will be at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*