NFL Guru Polarized by Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Matchup Sunday

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Kirk Cousins
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The Minnesota Vikings play host to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. A typical 10-2 vs 6-6 matchup wouldn’t hold much weight. That said, this isn’t your typical matchup. Kirk Cousins is returning to U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since chasing the money.

Minnesota opted to let the Kohl’s Cash saving quarterback go and instead grabbed budget friendly veteran Sam Darnold. He has been the better talent this season. Now the two will square off head to head and all of the narratives are on the line.

Advantage to the new Minnesota Vikings quarterback

Each week Matthew Berry puts out a Love/Hate column surrounding fantasy football. Of course that doesn’t necessarily translate to the box score, but it has always been a great read and there is a strong statistical analysis. With the Vikings current and former quarterbacks playing against each other, it’s intriguing that both wind up amongst his analysis.

The good news is that current signal caller Sam Darnold appears on the “love” list.

“Since Week 5, Atlanta is allowing touchdown passes at the third-highest rate, and they’ve also given up 20-plus fantasy points to quarterbacks in four of its past five games. So yeah, it’s not all Kirk Cousins’ fault that Atlanta is free-falling all the way down to … tied for first place in the division? Bless your heart, NFC South. Anyway, I like this Falcons matchup for Sam Darnold — especially at home. Not counting Minnesota’s “home” game in the eastern Minneapolis suburb of London, England, Darnold is averaging 19.6 FPPG at home this season. He also has nine games this season with two or more touchdown passes, which is tied for most in the NFL. Do you think Kevin O’Connell wants Darnold to put up massive numbers to show up Kirk Cousins who bailed on him? Me too. I have Darnold as QB4 in Week 14.”

Matthew Berry on Sam Darnold (NBC Sports)

The bad news, at least for the Falcons, is that Kirk Cousins finds himself on the flip side of the coin.

“Riding a three-game losing streak is probably not how Kirk Cousins pictured his return to Minnesota. He probably pictured himself riding on a plane. Or in a car. Or maybe on a snowmobile. That would be fun. But regardless of what Cousins rides to Minnesota, he probably won’t like what he finds waiting for him there in the Vikings defense. Minnesota has the highest blitz rate in the league, while Cousins ranks 25th in passer rating when pressured (5 TD, 8 INT). The Vikings also play zone coverage at the second-highest rate (79%) and Cousins leads the league with 11 picks thrown against zone coverage. He’s also 18th in yards per attempt versus zone coverage. I have Cousins outside my zone of startable quarterbacks in standard leagues this week at QB19.”

Matthew Berry on Kirk Cousins (NBC Sports)

Beyond just the final score, you can bet that one of the biggest Vikings storylines Sunday will be focused around which quarterback stands out. Darnold has a chance to bury Cousins with another performance like that against the Arizona Cardinals. A lackluster start for Cousins only substantiates why Minnesota moved on.

Related: Sam Darnold Proved He’s a Legit QB1 vs Cardinals

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is coming off one of the worst starts of his career. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can put the poor performance behind him. Cousins has fond memories of his time for the Minnesota Vikings, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be greeted with a warm welcome.

Darnold comes in just shy of 3,000 yards passing but with a 23/10 TD/INT ratio in his first season for Minnesota. Cousins has thrown for 3,052 yards and 17 touchdowns, but his 13 interceptions lead the league.

Related: Kirk Cousins Went on an Interception Spree vs Chargers

Among games left the rest of the way, Minnesota’s tilt with Atlanta may be the pinnacle of excitement.

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