Darnold delivers for Vikings with career-high 347 yards and 5 TDs to beat Falcons, Cousins 42-21

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Sam Darnold momentarily dropped his usual calm demeanor when he saw himself on the videoboard, pumping up the crowd by aggressively twirling a towel after the Minnesota Vikings had pulled ahead of Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons late in their game.

Darnold continued his standout first season with the Vikings, throwing for 347 yards and five touchdowns—both career highs—in a dominant 42-21 win over the struggling Falcons on Sunday. The victory extended Minnesota’s winning streak to six games.

After halftime, Darnold passed for 250 yards, helping the Vikings (11-2) break a 21-all tie early in the fourth quarter. The win kept them one game behind NFC North-leading Detroit, with a crucial final-week matchup against the Lions looming. Jordan Addison was a standout, catching eight passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns, while Justin Jefferson had seven receptions for 132 yards and two scores after going the previous six games without a touchdown.

Kirk Cousins, who left Minnesota for Atlanta in free agency, had a rough homecoming, throwing two more interceptions and failing to score a touchdown. His performance added to an already frustrating season, as the Falcons (6-7) lost their fourth straight game, slipping out of first place in the NFC South and falling behind Tampa Bay.

Cousins, who was booed as he entered the field, went 23-for-37 for 344 yards, but the Falcons were unable to capitalize on their offensive gains. Despite crossing midfield on all nine of their possessions and racking up 496 total yards, they struggled in key moments. Cousins overthrew Ray-Ray McCloud III on a crucial fourth-down pass in the first quarter, leading to short field goals before and after halftime. The turning point came when McCloud fumbled the kickoff after the Vikings scored a quick touchdown, setting up a touchdown pass to Addison and another seven plays later.

The Falcons’ woes were compounded by a defensive holding penalty on Kentavious Street during a field-goal attempt late in the second quarter. That gave Darnold another opportunity, and he delivered with a pinpoint 12-yard pass to Jefferson for a touchdown.

Bijan Robinson was one of the Falcons’ few bright spots, rushing 22 times for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Tyler Allgeier added 63 yards and a score. However, Atlanta struggled against the NFL’s top-ranked run defense.

Cousins’ night went from bad to worse. After throwing four interceptions last week, he hesitated on a first-down throw from the Minnesota 47-yard line early in the second quarter and threw an ill-advised pass directly to Josh Metellus, who was sitting in zone coverage. That was one of Cousins’ NFL-high 15 interceptions this season.

Byron Murphy intercepted another errant pass near the goal line, giving the Vikings a 35-21 lead with 6:26 remaining. Darnold, who completed 22 of 28 passes without any turnover-worthy plays despite facing heavy pressure in the first half, then led a seven-play, 98-yard drive to put the game out of reach.

Both teams will be in action next Monday night, December 16: Atlanta visits Las Vegas, while Minnesota hosts Chicago.