In this article, we will formulate a Minnesota Vikings vs Atlanta Falcons Prediction for this NFL Week 14 game on Sunday, December 8th, at US Bank Stadium.
All Eyes on Kirk Cousins for Falcons
All eyes are going to be on Kirk Cousins in this game for the Falcons for a couple of reasons. Not only is he returning to Minnesota in this game, but he might be playing to try and keep his job after the way he has struggled the last couple of weeks. In the last game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Falcons only scored 13 points, and a big reason why was the struggles of Cousins who threw for 245 yards but also had four interceptions. He has looked a little lost, and they need him to be a whole lot better.
Even with the struggles the Falcons still have a 6-6 record and are alive in the FC South, so it’s important they turn around this season quickly. The Falcons on the season are averaging 21.4 points while their defense is giving up 24.3 points per game. The offense is ranked 19th while the defense is ranked 22nd.
Vikings Just Keep Winning Games
It hasn’t at times been pretty, but the Vikings just keep winning games, and that’s all that matters at this point of this season. In the last game, the Vikings faced off against the Arizona Cardinals and they were able to secure a 23-22 victory. Sam Darnold completed 21 of his 31 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. The running game wasn’t good, and Aaron Jones had a couple of fumbles that really hurt them. Justin Jefferson finished with seven catches for 99 yards. The Vikings on the season are averaging 24.8 points while their defense is giving up 18.3 points per game. The offense is ranked 9th in the league while the defense is ranked 1st. In this game, the defense is going to need to do everything in their power to make life tough on Kirk Cousins.
Why the Vikings Will Beat the Falcons
- The Vikings have won seven of their last eight games against NFC opponents on a losing streak.
- The Falcons have lost each of their last four December road games against NFC opponents.
- The Falcons have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four Sunday games as underdogs.
- The home team has covered the spread in six of the Vikings’ last seven Week 14 games.
- The Vikings have won the first quarter in three of their last four games at U.S. Bank Stadium following a win.
- The home team has won the first half in six of the Vikings’ last seven Week 14 games.
Minnesota Vikings vs Atlanta Falcons Prediction
Give me the Vikings here. If the last game wasn’t any indication that the Falcons need to make a change at quarterback, this is going to be the final straw. The Brian Flores-led Vikings defense is going to really make life on Kirk Cousins and he’s going to be picked off at least twice in this game. Sam Darnold is playing at a high level right now and he’s going to light up this Falcons defense. This game is going to get ugly early and the Vikings are finally going to put an opponent away early. Back the Vikings against the spread.