The Minnesota Vikings are now 10-2 after beating a solid Arizona Cardinals team. The Cardinals dropped to 6-6 but will definitely be in the hunt for the playoffs, so this was a huge win for the Vikings. The Cardinals defense had been arguably one of the best units in the previous 3 weeks, allowing only 10 points per game. Late into the 3rd quarter, Arizona had taken a 19-6 lead, forcing the Vikings to lock in and make the necessary adjustments to turn the game around. The entire Vikings team locked in and found a way to outscore the Cardinals 17-3 in the final 16 minutes of the game. Sam Darnold was brilliant again, Justin Jefferson was able to get involved in the 2nd half thanks to great in-game adjustments by KOC, the defense forced Kyler Murray (who's impossible to sack) into multiple interceptions, and Aaron Jones redeemed himself by scoring the game-winning touchdown after fumbling twice and dropping a touchdown pass earlier in the game. The Vikings prevailed 23-22 to improve to 10-2, continuing to prove why they are one of the premier teams in the NFL.
This Vikings team has proven to be able to win in so many different ways this season. They've blown out playoff teams, battled through adversity (from bad games to injuries), have been forced to learn how to play with a lead, and have proven they can come back to win when down 2+ scores. This is the sign of a team that has the ability to be a champion. The Vikings have one of the best coaching staffs in the league, the defense is top 5, both kickers this year have been nearly perfect, and the offense is top 10 in the league. For the people that still enjoy saying this team is a fraud, let them keep saying that. It's just not true at all. A good indicator of a fraudulent team is a good record with a bad point differential, much like the 2022 Vikings. The 2024 Vikings are 10-2 with a +78 point differential. They just keep finding ways to win. Sam Darnold has been brilliant and is putting together the best QB season the Vikings have had since 2009 Brett Favre (I will dive deeper into this later). The thing Darnold does best is he doesn't let poor play affect him the way other QBs sometimes do. He just goes out and keeps playing one play at a time. He was absolutely locked in in the 4th quarter, making brilliant passes and not letting the pressure get to him. Were any Vikings fans truly worried that we wouldn't convert the 4th & 7 play that resulted in a first down pass to Jefferson? Because I know I wasn't. This drive ended up leading to Sam Darnold's 4th quarter comeback and game-winning drive to secure the 23-22 victory! There is a calmness to Darnold and it's like he blacks out and goes into superdrive during moments that should be stressful. He throws such a beautiful spiral with pinpoint accuracy, an ability we haven't seen with the Vikings since Sam Bradford and Brett Favre.
Next up, the 10-2 Minnesota Vikings will host the 6-6 Atlanta Falcons and the Devil. While the Vikings are currently on their second 5-game winning streak of the season, Curtis Cousins and the Falcons come limping into US Bank Stadium at 6-6, riding a 3-game losing streak. Cousins has thrown for 0 TD and 6 INT over the 3-game losing streak, while Darnold has thrown for 6 TD and 0 INT over the last 3 games. This will be a clash of teams headed in completely opposite directions at this point of the season. Let's dive a little deeper into each side.
Atlanta Falcons & Curtis Cousins
After 12 games in 2023 with Desmond Ridder & Taylor Heinicke at QB, the Atlanta Falcons were 6-6. The 2024 Atlanta Falcons, with Cousins at QB and an improved defense from last season, are currently also 6-6. Weird!
One might ask, "How do the Falcons have the same record as last season when they upgraded their QB and defense? They also have had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL the past few seasons, but now the offensive line seems worse?" Those are great questions that I am happy to answer! It's because Curtis Cousins is a terrible QB and an even worse human being. Not shockingly, the 2024 Falcons lead the league in 3&outs, a classic Cousins led offensive indicator. Cousins also continues to be an absolute turnover machine, leading the league with 13 INT and 12 fumbles, with 5 games still to play. The 3&outs and turnovers are why the Falcons defense has been worse, despite "improving" over the offseason. We saw this in Minnesota for 6 seasons, if the defense is constantly on the field, they are going to get tired and eventually give up points. For reference, Desmond Ridder had a total of 12 INT in all of 2023. The offensive line looks worse because Cousins can't run and has zero pocket presence. He makes any offensive line look worse than they actually are.
Curtis Cousins has a noodle arm. They call him Mr. Noodle Arm.
Last game, while Darnold threw for 2 TD, 0 INT, and led a beautiful game-winning drive... Cousins strapped up his chinstrap, gritted his teeth, and threw for 0 TD, 4 INT (one being a pick-6), and single handedly lost the game for the Falcons.
Curtis Cousins sucks.
I sometimes see people arguing on Twitter about Cousins being a Top-3 Vikings QB of all time. Give me a f*cking break. If we just list out the best QBs starting from the 1998 season until now, he is MAYBE top-10. You are out of your mind if you disagree. What did he accomplish while he was in MN? Good personal stats? A hefty paycheck? He is doing that again this year for the Falcons! Cousins is currently 5th in the NFL in passing yards and 10th in passing touchdowns. That's nice and cute. But he's a Top-20 QB like he always was in MN... he is 1st in the NFL in INT and fumbles, 18th in passer rating, and 20th in QBR. Classic!
If you take away all of Cousins' wins, he is a winless QB with an overall record of 0-73-2. That is a TERRIBLE record and he sucks.
Since the Vikings have a winning record at 10-2 and the game will be in Minnesota, let's go over one of my favorite stats. Curtis Cousins has one of the worst all-time NFL QB records against teams over .500. He is 16-47 (.254), essentially winning 25% of those games. Hilariously, this also follows along with his playoff record, considering teams in the playoffs have winning records, at 1-3 overall (.250). At least he's consistent at being a loser.
Enjoy this breakdown: If Cousins were to magically get the Falcons into the playoffs (which he won't because he only leads teams to the playoffs in 33% of his seasons), the odds of him leading them to a Super Bowl victory would be 0.4% at the most. Let's break it down... He would have to win four straight games against teams with winning records in order to win a Super Bowl. 1 win - 25% odds, 2 wins - 6.3% odds, 3 wins - 1.6% odds, and 4 wins - 0.4% odds. It will never happen.
If the Falcons lose to the Vikings this week and the Buccaneers beat the Raiders, the Falcons will no longer be in 1st place of the worst division in the NFC. This will be very funny. The Saints could also beat the Giants this week, bringing them within one game of the Falcons. Also hilarious considering I picked the Falcons to finish 3rd in the NFC South before the season started.
It is the most Curtis Cousins thing ever when considering the fact that we play his team in Week 14 and they are magically sitting at .500, 6-6, on the season. Comically predictable!
Curtis Cousins is my least favorite athlete in the history of athletes. I hate him more than a hate Wiscansin cheese. I hate him more than I hate spinach being snuck into a fruit smoothie. He wasted 6 Vikings seasons and was a displeasure to watch every Sunday.
Every Vikings fan at the game better BOO the hell out of Cousins when he enters the stadium. BOO HIM ALL GAME LONG! If Julie and the kids show up... BOO THEM TOO!
Minnesota Vikings & Sam Darnold
The Minnesota Vikings are now 10-2 and one of the best teams in the NFL. Yet, they continue to be overlooked by the national media purely because our QB is Sam Darnold.
I am fine with the Vikings being overlooked, but it is completely unfair to Sam because essentially what the national media is inferring is that the Jets and Panthers were competent organizations that gave him plenty of help and weapons around him. 82% of his coaches from those teams are no longer in the NFL and his best WR in his time with the Jets and Panthers was "Robbie Chosen." Yeah, half of you have no idea who that is. Sam is finally playing for a solid organization with a brilliant coaching staff and a hell of a team around him. All while he comes into his athletic prime. It has been a pleasure watching Slingin' Sammy D evolve into the player he always believed he could become.
Diving into what I touched on earlier: In the game against the Cardinals, Sam Darnold achieved his 10th game of the season with a passer rating of 100+, a feat previously accomplished only by Daunte Culpepper (2000) and Brett Favre (2009) for the Vikings. Sam still has 5 games left to secure the Vikings record, as no QB in team history has surpassed 10 such games in a single season. Like I said, Sam Darnold is one of the best QBs the Vikings have had in recent memory.
Even though the media continues to discount the Vikings, just remember that Birdman's Blog had the Vikings as a "13-win team and sneaky Super Bowl contenders" before the season started. I predicted this because of the incredible coaching staff, the defensive personnel upgrades, and the QB upgrades we made in the offseason. The Vikings were never going to be a 6-win team, not with this roster.
Even though we would like to see the Vikings blow out more teams, we have a modern day John Madden as our head coach. In the Super Bowl Era, Kevin O'Connell has the second best all-time win percentage in one-score games in NFL history (minimum 25 games). John Madden was 40-14-7 (.732) in one score games, while Kevin O'Connell is close behind him at 24-9 (.727). These are incredible records, effectively winning 3 out of every 4 one-score games. Madden and O'Connell have a special ability to bring a team together and truly make them believe that they can win in any scenario and against all odds.
The Minnesota Vikings can lock up a playoff bid with a win (along with the Seahawks beating the Cardinals and the Bills beating the Rams), but we also are shooting for higher expectations. Don't be surprised if the Vikings end up winning the NFC North. The Lions have about 9 defensive players on the IR and seem to continue racking up injuries every week. Seems like karma is hitting them hard for how they have gloated about injuring multiple opposing players over the last couple seasons.
Vikings vs Falcons Prediction
Aside from Cousins, the Falcons aren't a bad team. They are a solid team that is feeling the full effect of what happens when you start Cousins at QB. Washington went through it and finally let him walk. Minnesota went through it and finally let him walk. I see a lot of Vikings fans worried about this game because Cousins has played so poorly over the last 3 weeks and is due for a big game. I don't see it coming this week. He is terrible against winning teams and the Vikings are 10-2. Cousins is also terrible against the blitz, ranking 25th in passer rating when blitzed and 5th in turnover rate when blitzed. I expect the Vikings defense to bring the pressure this Sunday forcing numerous 3&outs and turnovers.
Even though the Vikings are on a 5-game winning streak, the wins haven't come easy. I don't think this is the worst thing as it's giving the Vikings an opportunity to battle through adversity and show some grit when their play hasn't been perfect. I would rather the Vikings be hot come playoff time, and I have no doubt it will all come together down the stretch and through the playoffs. We are still winning games and our defense has been nothing short of spectacular. Sam Darnold and the offense are going to have a big game in front of the home crowd. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, and Aaron Jones are going to go crazy. Brian Flores and the defense will be missing Ivan Pace and possibly Stephon Gilmore, but they will be lights out against this struggling Falcons offense. If the Vikings can stop the rushing attack, this game will get out of hand. Cousins leads the league in INT (13) and the Vikings defense has the most INT (18) in the NFL. The Vikings defense is also 4th in sacks and Cousins has no pocket presence and can't move. This will be a long game for the Falcons if they can't deploy a quick passing game.
I better not see anyone calling this a "revenge" game for Curtis Cousins. Revenge for what? Him doing nothing and us making him the highest paid player in NFL history? This is a revenge game for the Vikings and the majority of us fans for having to spend 6 seasons watching this selfish prick build up his bank account. Just needed to make that clear.
I predict the Vikings to win this game 31-17 while forcing 3+ turnovers to improve to 11-2 on the season. SKOL Vikings! Use the crowd noise and energy to your advantage! Let's beat the shit out of the Falcons! BAAAROOOOOO!
The devil will be dominated in MN!
Cousins stinks. Go Vikings, SKOL!
I love the Vikings! Go Team!