By Oscar Woods 
Vikings 42, Falcons 21 | December 8, 2024 | U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Kirk Cousins returned to Minnesota. The crowd booed. And by the fourth quarter, the scoreboard told the whole story.
The Atlanta Falcons vs Minnesota Vikings match player stats from Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season paint a picture of two teams heading in completely opposite directions. The Vikings rolled to a 42-21 victory, stretching their winning streak to six games and improving to 11-2 on the season. The Falcons dropped to 6-7, falling out of first place in the NFC South for the first time in weeks.
Table of Contents
Sam Darnold Puts on a Career-Defining Show
If anyone doubted Sam Darnold before this game, those doubts are gone now.
Darnold finished the afternoon with a stat line that belongs in the record books:
- 22 of 28 completions
- 347 passing yards
- 5 touchdown passes
- 0 interceptions
- 157.9 passer rating (NFL maximum is 158.3)
He completed 22 of 28 passes while withstanding seven hits, four sacks, and multiple pressures from the Falcons defense. Head coach Kevin O’Connell described the performance simply after the game: “It just felt like one of those days to keep the gas pedal down.”
Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson Make History
Two names stood out above everyone else on the Vikings side of the box score.
Jordan Addison was flat-out unstoppable:
- 8 receptions
- 133 receiving yards
- 3 touchdown catches (49 yards, 11 yards, 6 yards)
Justin Jefferson matched that energy:
- 132 receiving yards
- 2 touchdown catches (both came in the second half)
Addison and Jefferson became the first duo in Vikings history to each record 100-plus receiving yards and two-plus touchdown catches in the same game. Addison also became the first Vikings player with three receiving touchdowns in a game since Stefon Diggs caught three from Cousins back in 2019.
Kirk Cousins Comes Home to a Rough Welcome
The storyline of the day was Cousins returning to face his former franchise. It did not go well.
Cousins finished with:
- 23 of 37 completions
- 344 passing yards
- 0 touchdowns
- 2 interceptions
- 70.1 passer rating
Booed as he took the field, Cousins and the Falcons left with a fourth consecutive loss, tumbling out of first place in the NFC South and falling one game behind Tampa Bay.
Despite the numbers looking decent on the surface, both interceptions led to momentum swings that Atlanta never fully recovered from. Cousins addressed the loss after the final whistle: “When you’re playing well you usually aren’t as good as people are telling you when they’re patting you on the back, and if you’re in a rut you’re usually not as bad as people leaving you for dead. The reality’s usually somewhere in the middle.”
Atlanta Falcons Player Stats: The Full Picture
The Falcons actually put up solid individual numbers. The problem was turnovers and red zone execution.
Darnell Mooney was the clear standout for Atlanta:
- 6 receptions
- 142 receiving yards
Bijan Robinson kept the run game alive:
- 22 carries
- 92 rushing yards
- 1 rushing touchdown (13-yard score)
Tyler Allgeier opened the scoring early:
- 9 carries
- 63 rushing yards
- 1 rushing touchdown (6-yard score)
The Falcons crossed midfield on all nine of their possessions and finished with 496 total yards, more than the Vikings’ 433. Yet they still lost by 21 points. Three turnovers against zero for Minnesota told the real story.
Minnesota Vikings Ground Game Closes It Out
After building the lead through the air, the Vikings closed the game on the ground.
Aaron Jones Sr. delivered a 98-yard final drive capper:
- 13 carries
- 73 rushing yards
- 1 rushing touchdown (15-yard score)
Cam Akers contributed during that same drive with a 25-yard run before Jones finished it off.
Team Stats Comparison
| Category | Falcons | Vikings |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 21 | 42 |
| Total Yards | 496 | 433 |
| Passing Yards | 344 | 347 |
| Rushing Yards | 155 | 86 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Red Zone | 2/5 | 4/4 |
| Penalties | 12 for 127 yds | 6 for 35 yds |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 7/13 | 8/12 |
What This Game Meant
The Vikings kept pace with the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, sitting just one game back with a Week 18 matchup against Detroit already on the calendar. Attendance was announced at 67,008, the second-largest for a Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium since it opened in 2016.
For Atlanta, the loss exposed a troubling pattern: the offense moves the ball but cannot protect it when it matters. Four straight losses going into the stretch run put their playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.
The Atlanta Falcons vs Minnesota Vikings match player stats from December 8 tell the story of a team in Sam Darnold that is peaking at exactly the right time, and a Kirk Cousins-led Falcons squad still searching for answers down the stretch.