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Vikings locker room reacts to 42-21 win over Bears
Vikings players Jordan Addison, Cam Bynum, Jonathan Greenard, Aaron Jones, Byron Murphy Jr., Justin Jefferson, Jalen Redmond and Blake Cashman react from the locker room after a 42-21 win over the Falcons on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium to improve to 11-2 on the season.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Sunday started with the story being Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota.
It ended with historic days for Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson and Sam Darnold as the Minnesota Vikings beat the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings are 11-2, have won six straight games and are inching closer to a spot in the NFC Playoffs.
Cousins was booed loudly by Vikings’ fans at the start of the game, his first time back in Minnesota since leaving in free agency. He threw two interceptions and how has eight straight without a touchdown pass. Addison had eight catches for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Jefferson had seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold was 22-of-28 for 347 yards and five scores. He was shown fired up on the sideline waving a towel in the fourth quarter, and fans started chanting "MVP!" when his stats were shown on the jumbotron.
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Sam Darnold gets MVP chants in Vikings win over Falcons
Vikings QB Sam Darnold speaks with reporters after throwing 5 touchdown passes in a 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota has won six straight and is 11-2.
"That was a lot of emotion for me. I was excited, man. I feel like I couldn’t just sit there, stoic, straight-faced. I feel like I had to show a little emotion for the fans, gave them what they wanted," Darnold said. "That was a special moment for me. I just felt the buzz."
‘I’m just proud of him. Days like this are so many hours upon hours of hard work and committing to being a Minnesota Viking and making sure everything I do is built on earning the trust of my teammates," Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said after the win. "When you have a result like this, everyone is going to talk about the result and I hope they do. There’s not very many guys in that locker room that are surprised by the performance he had today."
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Kevin O'Connell reacts after Vikings beat Falcons, 42-21
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell speaks with reporters after a 42-21 win over the Falcons on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium to improve to 11-2 on the season.
Why it matters
Addison and Jefferson became the first wide receivers in Vikings’ history to each get over 100 yards in a game, and each get at least two touchdowns. Jefferson also surpassed 7,000 receiving yards for his career on Sunday.
"This is something that we want to do and we can do every single week. We always say that we’re the best duo in the league. Today we had the opportunity to show the world that we’re the best duo," Jefferson said.
"I was shocked. We’ve had some great combinations in our league’s history that have worn this uniform, so pretty spectacular by those two guys," O'Connell said. "It’s what I believe we’re capable of as an offense."
Cousins spent six seasons with the Vikings and left the team in free agency, signing a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons. It opened the door for Darnold to sign a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings. In six years, Cousins won one playoff game with Minnesota.
The key sequence
The game was tied 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter before the Vikings rattled off 21 straight points. Darnold hit Addison for an 11-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 28-21 lead. The Falcons fumbled the ensuing kickoff. C.J. Ham, the Vikings’ 2024 nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, got the recovery.
Darnold then hit Addison for a 6-yard touchdown and 35-21 lead with 8:21 to play. Aaron Jones put a bow on the win with a 15-yard touchdown run, and celebrated with a "Bank Vault."
Josh Metellus interception leads to ‘White Chicks’ dance
Josh Metellus picked off Cousins in the second quarter, setting up another crazy celebration for the Vikings’ secondary. Metellus and Cam Bynum combined to do a version of the dance battle in the movie "White Chicks," including Bynum getting flipped over by Metellus. Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted Cousins in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
"When we make plays, you really earn the right to do funny things, goofy things. That’s really what drives us, to be able to have that joy playing. What better way to have fun than making plays and being able to celebrate it with your guys," Bynum said. "We practiced it weeks ago because we’ve been on a little dry spell. It’s tougher without pads, having the adrenaline from being in the game, no way we’re going to mess it up."
Cousins now has eight interceptions without a touchdown pass in his last four games.
What’s next
The Vikings are 11-2 after what is probably their most complete game of the season, and host the Chicago Bears on Dec. 16 for Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium.