The Falcoholic
The Atlanta Falcons have to bounce back from a tough, last-second loss and travel to Minnesota for a primetime game. The Vikings have to build off a hard-fought, last-second win and host another would-be NFC contender. This could be—should be!—a terrific game.
Both teams are capable of standing in the way of that, though. Atlanta showed improved defensive discipline and plenty to like on offense, but piss poor run blocking, multiple costly penalties, drops, and an ugly missed field goal made it clear how much work needs to be done before they can start really calling themselves a quality team. The Vikings, meanwhile, were a bit sluggish out of the gate defensively and had to fight through three quarters of ugly quarterback play from J.J. McCarthy before he turned it on (and got some help from a pass interference call) in the fourth quarter to earn the win; their secondary looks customarily grim.
Minnesota will justly be favored here, but Atlanta has the ability to steal a road win if they play at the peak of their powers. Here’s what you need to know about the matchup ahead.
You can’t read much from Week 1, so I’m presenting these with very little comment.
This is a team sick of being great in the regular season and bounced in the playoffs. The Vikings now have a 13 and 14 win season to boast about in just three years with Kevin O’Connell at the helm, but no postseason wins; any team worth their salt is not going to take regular season success with no prospect of advancing further. Minnesota didn’t.
The most obvious changes are on offense. The Vikings replaced Sam Darnold, who revived his career with O’Connell’s smooth play calling magic, with functional-rookie J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy was drafted in the vaunted quarterback class of 2024, but missed all of last year with an injury. The hope is very much that he’s a long-term answer at a position that demands one.
The team also added Jordan Mason from the 49ers, who looks like exactly the kind of early down bruiser Minnesota would like to lean on while using Aaron Jones for receiving duties and passing downs. The Vikings also rebuilt their offensive line, adding rookie Donovan Jackson at left guard, longtime Colts stalwart Ryan Kelly at center, and Will Fries at right guard. If stud left tackle Christian Darrisaw can’t go against the Falcons, free agent signing Justin Skule is the next man up after a rough day against the Bears.
On defense, though, the Vikings made even more impactful additions, just ones that get slightly lost in the McCarthy buzz and Mason fantasy football relevance. Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave give a talented Brian Flores-coached front even more juice, while Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah were signed to shore up a porous secondary (that has not really happened thus far). Minnesota’s draft class added a couple of interesting late rounders in Georgia’s...
