The Minnesota Vikings will look to earn their third straight win when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.
Minnesota will be playing its first game without Kirk Cousins after he suffered a torn Achilles in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers while the Falcons will be turning to former Viking Taylor Heinicke after benching Desmond Ridder.
Quarterbacks aside, this should be a fairly unpredictable matchup. But here are five things that you can count on.
1. Jaren Hall’s first start
When the Vikings selected Jaren Hall in the fifth round of the NFL Draft last April, he was considered to be a developmental prospect. But Hall will be thrown into the deep end and make his first career start on Sunday.
Hall has been lauded for his makeup coming out of BYU, but the 25-year-old also had issues with his consistency during the preseason. Hall completed 3-of-4 passes for 23 yards in relief of Cousins last week and head coach Kevin O’Connell said his team will have full belief in him against the Falcons.
“It’s going to be different,” O’Connell said. “I’ve tried to spend a lot of time with Jaren not just this week but since he’s arrived here to learn more about him. I was watching him real closely the other day [in Green Bay] when he went in the game: how he came off, how he was on the sideline. All that led me to believe Jaren is ready for this moment.”
With the recently acquired Josh Dobbs waiting in the wings, this could be Hall’s moment to secure the starting job in the short term.
2. Tough sledding for the Vikings running game
The Vikings might be relieved to see that Grady Jarrett won’t play in Sunday’s game after suffering a torn ACL in last week’s loss to Tennessee. But while his absence is a hit to the Falcons’ pass rush, it may not matter when it comes to the running game.
Atlanta’s defense ranks second in expected points added against the run this season and eighth in run stop win rate according to Pro Football Focus. The Vikings run game has also struggled, combining for 98 rushing yards below expected this season.
O’Connell may look to lean on his running game to make things easier for Hall in his first start, but Alexander Mattison and Cam Akers haven’t been safe options this year. Going up against a tough defense, the offense may need to rely on Hall’s arm to put up points.
3. The Falcons shelving their explosive weapons
The Vikings will catch a break after Drake London was ruled out for Sunday’s game with a groin injury, but they could catch more during the game after due to Arthur Smith’s unusual deployment of offensive weapons.
Smith has defiantly vowed to ride the hot hand and it’s caused some weird decisions throughout the season; Mattison has more touches (127) than 2023 eighth overall pick Bijan Robinson (118) and Jonnu Smith has more touchdowns (2) than 2021 fifth overall pick Kyle Pitts (1).
One would assume that Robinson and Pitts would figure into the game plan but Tyler Allgeier leads the Falcons with 104 rushing attempts this season despite averaging 3.2 yards per carry.
Perhaps the switch to Heinicke could get the Falcons offense trending in the right direction, but the Vikings could continue their recent momentum if Smith decides to do them a favor.
4. Some old friends playing for the Falcons
While the Falcons are insistent on using their second-stringers, several players could turn Vikings fans into Rick Dalton on Sunday afternoon.
Heinicke will be the Falcons starting quarterback after signing with the Vikings as a UDFA in 2015. After stints with Houston and Carolina, Heinicke landed in Washington and made 24 starts over the Commanders the past two seasons, throwing for 211 yards per game with 32 touchdowns and 21 interceptions while completing 64 percent of his passes.
The Falcons also have a pair of Vikings’ first-round picks on the roster, with Cordarrelle Patterson a backup running back and kick returner and Mike Hughes a reserve cornerback.
5. The Vikings win an ugly game in Atlanta
If we’re being honest, there’s not a lot you can count on during Sunday’s game. Cousins was a consistent presence for the Vikings and it’s hard to know how they will handle a new face at quarterback – let alone someone making their first career start.
But Sunday’s game could look a lot like the last time the Vikings visited Atlanta in 2017. In that game backup quarterback Case Keenum threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns while the Vikings’ defense held Atlanta to 275 yards in a 14-9 victory.
It won’t be pretty, but the Vikings should have enough to come away with a win.
Prediction: Vikings 17, Falcons 10
