The Minnesota Vikings saw their winning streak extend to five games after squeaking out a victory against the Arizona Cardinals last weekend.
Now, the Vikings’ homestand continues as they take on an old friend when Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons come to town. Atlanta currently holds the lead in the NFC South by the slimmest of margins (a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and are in serious need of a win.
Meanwhile, the Vikings hope to keep the good times rolling as they try to maintain their one-game deficit behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North. Here is a look at everything Vikings fans need to know heading into this Week 14 matchup.
How to Watch the Minnesota Vikings This Week
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This week’s Minnesota Vikings game will be broadcast on FOX when they kick off against the Atlanta Falcons inside U.S. Bank Stadium at noon on Sunday, December 8. The game can also be streamed on NFL+ in the NFL app as well as through NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.
Falcons/Vikings History
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The Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons have met a grand total of 33 times in the histories of the two franchises. These meetings include two playoff games (1982 and the 1998 NFC Championship Game — which we won’t talk about).
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In total, the Vikings lead the all-time series with a 21-12 record against the Dirty Birds, including a 31-28 victory in their most recent matchup that took place in Week 9 last season. It was the game that kicked off the start of the short-lived Josh Dobbs Mania after Kirk Cousins suffered his torn Achilles one week earlier in Green Bay.
Falcons Spotlight Player: QB Kirk Cousins
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He is the man everyone is talking about heading into this weekend. Kirk Cousins is making his much-anticipated return to Minnesota after signing a massive four-year contract with the Falcons this spring.
While Cousins earned that contract with strong play in 2022 and 2023 before his season-ending injury, it has been a roller coaster ride for the veteran quarterback in 2024. Cousins leads the league in interceptions with 13 after a four-INT performance against the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend.
That game marked the third consecutive in which Cousins has thrown an interception, and coincidentally, it also comes during a three-game losing streak for the Falcons. Ultimately, Cousins’ newfound keenness for turning the ball over may be the undoing for Atlanta against a tough Vikings defense that currently leads the league in interceptions themselves.
In games in which Cousins has thrown an interception, the Falcons are 2-6. When he hasn’t thrown one, they are 4-0. We’ll see how the 36-year-old fares against his former team in that department on Sunday.
Vikings Spotlight Player: CB Fabian Moreau
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After skating by for much of the season, it appears that the thin, veteran Vikings secondary may finally have suffered its first significant injury of the year.
Stephon Gilmore was forced to leave Week 13 against the Cardinals with a hamstring injury, and that exit put Fabian Moreau in the spotlight during the second half of the game. Now, Gilmore is yet to practice this week after being a DNP on both Wednesday and Thursday, so Moreau could be in line to start this weekend against a talented Falcons receiving group.
Last weekend, Moreau was targeted five times, allowing two receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown to rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. He was also penalized twice. If Moreau is in the starting lineup this upcoming Sunday, the Vikings will need a cleaner performance from the veteran journeyman.