Minnesota Vikings Open as Week 14 Favorites vs Kirk Cousins’ Falcons

By Ted Schwerzler |

Updated: Dec 2, 2024

Kirk Cousins — Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Another week, another wild win for the Minnesota Vikings. Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s 2024 squad hasn’t managed to blowout very many opponents in this season, or in his tenure as head coach, overall.

But in the NFL, nobody asks how you got your wins, they only ask how many. And the Vikings have 10 on the season, after another victory in week 13 vs the Cardinals. Sam Darnold is coming off arguably his best game in purple, and he’s looking to build off that in week 14 vs another kind of bird, the “Dirty Birds” Atlanta Falcons.

Minnesota Vikings favored vs Atlanta Falcons + Kirk Cousins

After leaving Minnesota for a massive ATL payday, Kirk Cousins has struggled through his first dozen games in Atlanta. He’ll bring his 6-6 Falcons back to the no-longer friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium, in week 14, as +4.5 – +5 point underdogs vs his former squad, depending on the sportsbook.

Sportsbook	Spread	Moneyline	Over/Under
FanDuel	Vikings -4.5	-225	46.5
DraftKings	Vikings -5	-205	46
ESPN Bet	Vikings -4.5	-225	45.5

The Atlanta Falcons are certifiably mediocre. Then again, they play in a division that harbors mediocrity. Their 6-6 record leads the NFC South. They are tied atop the division with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who reached 6-6 on Sunday, thanks to an overtime victory over the hapless Carolina Panthers.

Cousins has started 12 games with Atlanta after recovering from his torn achilles. His 67.4 completion percentage is slightly behind the 69.5% he owned last season in Minnesota. After throwing for 18 touchdowns in just eight games last year, Cousins has just 17 touchdowns passes this season.

He also has 13 interceptions, including a four-pick game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. That number leads the league. It’s almost likely that he’ll tie or surpass his career-high of 14 interceptions against the Vikings next weekend.

Kirk Cousins just single-handedly lost Atlanta the game today. Just a pathetic overall performance from the $180M man.

4 interceptions. Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/gcXinO3PsH
— garrett (@gxrrettgsn) December 1, 2024

Meanwhile, Sam Darnold took over for Cousins at one-fourth of the cost and has been nothing short of exceptional. That’s relative to his career performance and salary, but Kevin O’Connell has become the quarterback whisperer and has his team positioned as one of the best across the entire league.

Two more touchdowns on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals put Darnold at a 23/10 TD/INT ratio on the season. Can Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons are pull off the road upset in an EXTREMELY hostile environment? Good luck…