The Falcoholic
The Falcons look to pick themselves up and dust themselves off in a primetime showdown with the Minnesota Vikings in the second game of the 2025 season.
The Vikings are an NFC rival who for the most part have had a lot of success against Atlanta, much like the vast majority of the NFC outside the south. They currently lead the all time series 22-12, and that’s despite losing three of the first four matchups, all of which took place in the 1960s (and those ‘60s Falcons hardly beat anyone).
Outside of the ‘60s, there has been just one instance where the Falcons managed to string together back-to-back wins against Minnesota, and those were Matt Ryan’s first two games against them in 2008 and 2011. That 2008 victory was actually to clinch a playoff spot. Not even the great Matt Ryan could turn the tide, however, as Minnesota went on to win the next four consecutive matchups throughout the 2010s.
Even in recent memory, the Vikings have won six of the last seven games against Atlanta, including the last two in 2023 and 2024.
No matter how many games they win head to head, however, none of it will ever make up for the one key matchup where Atlanta came out on top, in the 1998 NFC Championship Game against arguably the greatest Minnesota Vikings team of all time. The 15-1 Vikes, behind statistically the greatest offense ever up to that point, were sent home by the “Dirty Bird” Falcons led by Jamal Anderson, with some help from a Gary Anderson missed kick that still haunts the state of Minnesota to this day.
Kirk Cousins had already started sputtering when he embarked in a sort of homecoming back to his former place of play in December of last year, as the Falcons — riding a three-game losing streak — were desperately trying to hold off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a division race when they met the 10-2 Vikings who were in the midst of arguably the most preposterous division race in NFL history with the Detroit Lions.
With everything to play for, the Falcons took the first drive of the game downfield for a Tyler Allgeier score, before the Vikings restored order with touchdowns from Sam Darnold to Jordan Addison and then Justin Jefferson, as Atlanta’s secondary would prove to be completely outmatched all afternoon.
The Falcons held steady and kept the favored Minnesota team within reach, even as Jefferson scored another long touchdown on a play where the secondary completely busted coverage. Bijan Robinson’s 13-yard run and subsequent 2-point conversion actually tied the game at 21 going into the fourth quarter.
That’s where everything collapsed for Atlanta, who allowed two more Addison touchdown catches which were bookends to a Ray-Ray McCloud fumble on a kickoff, before a Cousins pick in Minnesota territory ended all hope. Overall, Minnesota outscored the Birds 21-0 in the fourth to complete the blowout.
