The Minnesota Vikings traveled to Atlanta yesterday for a date with the defending NFC Champions. The Falcons were favored by a three and, as expected, the game was tightly contested with a playoff-like atmosphere. Minnesota managed to take back the lead in the fourth quarter and hang on to win 14-9, ending Atlanta’s five-game winning streak and increasing their own to eight.
Atlanta’s “Red-Hot” Offense Cools Down
The Falcons came into the game Sunday revitalized from a slow start. Their offense was looking nearly unstoppable over the previous five weeks and Julio Jones was coming off a 12-catch, 253 yard, two-touchdown game against Tampa Bay the week prior. Before the game, Mike Zimmer said that Minnesota would cover Julio differently than how the Buccaneers elected to handle him. He insisted they would be able to limit his usage and overall effectiveness in the game. Zimmer did not disappoint. The Rhodes were closed all game long for Jones, only bringing in two catches for 24 yards and adding to Xavier Rhodes’ impressive resume this season.
As for the NFL’s reigning MVP, Matt Ryan only completed 16 of his 29 pass attempts with no touchdowns on the day, despite never being sacked. Mohamed Sanu was their leading receiver for the game, finishing with three catches for 43 yards.
Atlanta saw most of its success in the running game. But by the fourth quarter, they had largely abandoned it in favor of a more aggressive attack. Devonta Freeman had 74 yards on 12 carries and would have had more if it were not for penalties which plagued the Falcons in the first half.
Keenum and the Viking Offense Keep Things Rolling
Case Keenum, the reigning-NFC Offensive Player of the Month, continues to impress with another efficient outing against a banged-up Falcons secondary. Playing without Desmond Trufant proved difficult for the Falcons to overcome as they allowed Keenum to have a near-perfect game, going 25-30 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He spread it around to anyone available as nine different Vikings caught at least one pass with none of them eclipsing than 51 yards.
The running game was solid with Latavius Murray getting the bulk of the work. He finished with 76 yards on 16 attempts including a 30-yard scamper that set Minnesota up for their first touchdown of the game. They mixed in McKinnon as well, as he had a team-high five catches for 28 yards and a touchdown. McKinnon celebrated his score with his rendition of the “dirty bird” dance, an homage to his hometown Falcons team.
Other Keys: Falcons Undisciplined in First Half
Atlanta came into Sunday’s game as the ninth-least penalized team in the NFL. In the first half alone, the Falcons had six penalties for 45 yards. However, they turned it around after the break with just one penalty for 10 yards in the second half.
-
Ep 102: Chiefs, Eagles Advance To The Super Bowl
by Full Press Coverage on January 30, 2023 at 11:26 pm
The Minnesota Moving Company had a solid game, only allowing two sacks to the Falcons pass rush. The offensive line in Minnesota continues to impress and get better as weeks pass. Notably, Rashod Hill had another nice game in place of right tackle Mike Remmers, who missed with a back injury.
Most Valuable Players:
Offense: QB Case Keenum
Keenum finished with a passer rating of 120.4 and was a perfect 13 for 13 passing in the second half. There is a reason this man earned November’s NFC Offensive Player of the Month and he put that on full display in Atlanta on Sunday. Keenum continues to provide the Vikings organization and fan base with a sense of security at quarterback, something they have not felt since Brett Favre.
Defense: CB Xavier Rhodes
“Rhodes Closed” is the motto for the Viking’s secondary this season and Julio Jones knows all about it now. Rhodes held Jones to two catches for 24 yards. That statline came only a week after Jones hauled in 12 passes for 200+ and a pair of touchdowns. Rhodes also showed off his tackling skills with five total tackles on the day.
Looking Ahead
The Vikings are the second place team in the NFC at 10-2, trailing only the Philadelphia Eagles. With wins over the Saints, Rams, Lions and Falcons, Minnesota has established itself as a true contender for the NFC this season. This convincing win over the Falcons is going to wake up the rest of the fans who have slept on Minnesota all year.
With four games left in the season, the Vikings need one more win to officially clinch the division. Minnesota has two more opponents who are in playoff contention, the 8-3 Carolina Panthers and the 6-6 Green Bay Packers. Both of those games will be on the road. Aaron Rodgers is a potential monkey wrench. He is expected to be back for Green Bay when these two teams meet in week 16. The other two games should be relatively easy wins (if there is such a thing in the NFL). Minnesota hosts the Cincinnati Bengals in week 14 and the Chicago Bears in the season finale.
The Vikings have made another bold statement to the rest of the league Sunday with a convincing win over the reigning NFC Champions. We wait and see if they can keep things rolling in Carolina next week. But the team looks to be firing on all cylinders. A home game for the in the Super Bowl is looking like a strong possibility.
- NFL 2022: Football Food For Thought (Wild Card Weekend)
- Giants at Vikings: Playoff Preview and Prediction
- NFL 2022: Five Key Statistics for Wild Card Weekend
- Listing The Best Possible Super Bowl LVII Matchups
- Giants at Vikings: Preview and Prediction
-
Ep 141: Andy Reid, Eagles, And Conference Championship Weekend w/ Joe Bannerby Full Press Coverage on January 27, 2023 at 5:36 pm
Clark and Ira are joined by former Eagles President Joe Banner to talk […]
-
Ep 140: The 49ers/Cowboys Rivalry With Former San Francisco Tight End Brent Jonesby Full Press Coverage on January 19, 2023 at 9:02 pm
Clark and Ira are joined by former 49ers tight end and three time Super […]
-
Ep 137: Hall Of Fame Discussion w/ John Turneyby Full Press Coverage on December 30, 2022 at 5:33 pm
Football historian John Turney of Pro Football Journal joins Clark and Ira […]
-
Ep 136: Remembering The Longest Game Ever Played With Larry Littleby Full Press Coverage on December 24, 2022 at 1:09 am
On the 51-year anniversary of the longest game ever played (Chiefs vs. […]
-
Ep 135: Hall of Fame Semifinalist Jahri Evans Joins The Showby Full Press Coverage on December 16, 2022 at 3:51 pm
Former Saints guard and 2023 HOF Semifinalist Jahri Evans joins Clark and […]
-
Ep 134: Remember AFL/NFL Star John Hadl with Nick Canepaby Full Press Coverage on December 8, 2022 at 2:39 pm
Former Hall of Fame voter, Nick Canepa, joins Clark and Ira to discuss the […]
-
Ep 133: Hall Of Fame Semifinalist Henry Ellard Joins The Showby Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2022 at 4:28 pm
Former Rams and Redskins wide receiver, Henry Ellard, joins Clark and Ira […]
-
Ep 132: Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Semifinalists w/ Rick Gosselinby Full Press Coverage on November 22, 2022 at 6:15 pm
Clark and Ira are joined by Pro Football Hall of Fame voter Rick Gosselin […]
-
Ep 131: 'Football Heaven' With PFHOF Senior Advisor Joe Horriganby Full Press Coverage on November 17, 2022 at 5:55 pm
Pro Football Hall of Fame Senior Advisor, Joe Horrigan, joins Clark and […]
-
Ep 130: Remembering John McVay With Hall of Famer Eddie DeBartolo Jr.by Full Press Coverage on November 13, 2022 at 1:42 am
Clark and Ira are joined by Hall of Fame owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. to […]
-
Ep 271: NFL Championship Roundby Full Press Coverage on January 26, 2023 at 1:58 pm
-
Ep 270: NFL Divisional Roundby Full Press Coverage on January 19, 2023 at 1:31 am
-
Ep 269: NFL Playoff Previewby Full Press Coverage on January 12, 2023 at 4:13 am
-
Ep 268: Week 16 Fantasy Rankingsby Full Press Coverage on December 21, 2022 at 9:45 pm
-
(Episode 3.2) Offseason Talk with the "Command This!" Podcastby Full Press Coverage on February 1, 2023 at 3:04 am
George Carmi hosts Steve, Dev, and Phil as they discuss the Commanders […]
-
Ep 167: Super Bowl LVII Previewby Full Press Coverage on February 1, 2023 at 12:33 am
This season premiere featured a preview of the NFL's season finale. In […]
-
1/31 - Tom Brady and the 49ers, Aaron Rodgers Futureby Full Press Coverage on January 31, 2023 at 9:00 am
Ian and John discuss whether or not the 49ers loss in the NFC Championship […]
-
1/30 - Conference Championship Recap: Eagles, Chiefs Advanceby Full Press Coverage on January 30, 2023 at 10:35 am
Ian and John recap the Eagles and Chiefs victories on Conference […]
-
1/27 - Conference Championship Preview: Who is Going To The Super Bowl?by Full Press Coverage on January 27, 2023 at 9:50 am
Ian and John preview Conference Championship Weekend and give their picks […]
-
1/23 - Divisional Round Recap; Chiefs, Bengals, Eagles, and 49ers Advanceby Full Press Coverage on January 23, 2023 at 2:00 pm
Ian and John recap Divisional Round Weekend in the NFL. Learn more about […]
-
Talkamania Episode 230by Talkamania on September 6, 2022 at 11:43 pm
-
Talkamania Episode 229by Talkamania on August 5, 2022 at 3:37 am
-
Boot 2 The Face Episode 211 "Steel Reserve"by Boot 2 The Face on January 28, 2023 at 6:59 pm
We preview the Royal Rumble and other things in the week of pro wreslting. […]
-
Boot 2 The Face Episode 210 "No Monè, No Monè, No Monè"by Boot 2 The Face on January 19, 2023 at 12:55 am
Rucker and EJ are back discussing Rucker going to Impacts Hard to Kill […]
-
Fight Stack: Da-un vs Clarkby Full Press Coverage on February 2, 2023 at 12:00 pm
-
Full Press MMA - Wednesday, February 1stby Full Press Coverage on February 2, 2023 at 12:00 am
-
Hawks at Sunsby Broken Controller Media on February 1, 2023 at 11:00 pm
-
Raptors at Jazzby Broken Controller Media on February 1, 2023 at 10:00 pm
-
Kings at Spursby Broken Controller Media on February 1, 2023 at 9:00 pm
-
Warriors at Wolvesby Broken Controller Media on February 1, 2023 at 8:15 pm
-
Thunder at Rocketsby Broken Controller Media on February 1, 2023 at 7:30 pm
-
Nets at Celticsby Broken Controller Media on February 1, 2023 at 6:45 pm
-
Fight Stack: Fedor vs Baderby Full Press Coverage on February 1, 2023 at 6:00 pm
-
1/6 - Damar Hamlin Update, Bills/Bengals, AFC Playoffs, Week 18 Picksby Full Press Coverage on January 6, 2023 at 3:11 pm
-
Winter Classic: Bruins Rally To Beat Penguins At Fenwayby Full Press Coverage on January 4, 2023 at 2:09 am
-
1/3 - Bills/Bengals Postponed; Bruins Topple Penguins In Winter Classicby Full Press Coverage on January 4, 2023 at 2:05 am
-
1/2 - Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Week 17, Bills/Bengalsby Full Press Coverage on January 3, 2023 at 3:22 am
-
12/30 - New Year's Eve, Luka Doncic, NBA Talk, Week 17 Preview and Picksby Full Press Coverage on January 1, 2023 at 2:29 am
-
Aaron Rodgers, Packers Win Third Straight; Playoffs In Sightby Full Press Coverage on December 27, 2022 at 7:36 pm