2026
Week 12 · Sunday 1:00 PM ET · U.S. Bank Stadium
vs
Falcons offensevsVikings defense
Season numbers through Week 8: 8 games for Falcons, 7 for Vikings. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.
Ground game edge
Falcons average 4.7 yards per carry (5th). Vikings allow 4.5 (25th).
Deep middle is open
Vikings are worst against deep middle throws, allowing +1.12 EPA per attempt. Falcons send 3% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.
Passing lanes are closed
Falcons gain -0.18 EPA per dropback (29th). Vikings allow -0.24 (1st).
Explosive play rate
Call this one even. Falcons create explosive plays on 9% of snaps (17th). Vikings give them up at 9% (14th).
Players to watch
Falcons
Michael Penix Jr.QB · 104/168 · 1282 yds · 9 TD · 5 INTEPA per dropback +0.02 · 21st
Bijan RobinsonRB · 150 car · 780 yds · 5 TD · 25 recEPA per touch -0.07
Drake LondonWR · 39 rec · 624 yds · 1 TD · 62 tgtEPA per target +0.40
Kyle PittsTE · 22 rec · 197 yds · 4 TD · 32 tgtEPA per target +0.06Kendal DanielsLeft Inside Linebacker · 52 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 2 PD1 INTC.J. HendersonRight Cornerback · 39 tackles · 8 PD8 passes defended · T-7th in the NFL
Vikings
Kyler MurrayQB · 100/154 · 1022 yds · 5 TD · 3 INTEPA per dropback -0.06 · 27th
Jordan MasonRB · 38 car · 147 yds · 1 TD · 0 recEPA per touch -0.26
Justin JeffersonWR · 28 rec · 335 yds · 4 TD · 40 tgtEPA per target +0.54 · 16th
T.J. HockensonTE · 31 rec · 295 yds · 3 TD · 37 tgtEPA per target +0.67 · 3rdAndrew Van GinkelWeakside Linebacker · 21 tackles · 6.5 sacks · 1 INT · 1 PD6.5 sacks · T-5th in the NFLBlake CashmanRight Inside Linebacker · 62 tackles · 4.5 sacks · 5 PD4.5 sacks · T-16th in the NFLThe Vikings lead the series 9–6 since 1999. Sep 14, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium: the Falcons won 22–6. J.J. McCarthy started at quarterback for the Vikings and Michael Penix for the Falcons; Kevin O'Connell and Raheem Morris coached.
The last 5
| 2025 · Wk 2 | ATL 22 at MIN 6 |
| 2024 · Wk 14 | ATL 21 at MIN 42 |
| 2023 · Wk 9 | MIN 31 at ATL 28 |
| 2020 · Wk 6 | ATL 40 at MIN 23 |
| 2019 · Wk 1 | ATL 12 at MIN 28 |
2026 records
| Falcons | Vikings | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3–5 | 6–1 |
| Division | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Conference | 3–3 | 4–1 |
| Other conference | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| Home | 1–3 | 3–0 |
| Away | 2–2 | 3–1 |
| Last 5 | WLLWL | WWWWL |
| Streak | Lost 1 | Lost 1 |
| Points a game | 21.4 – 23.6 | 20.0 – 13.3 |
Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Falcons' side. Records are this regular season.
Falcons offense · 3WR 1TE
- QBMichael Penix Jr.#9 · 104/168 · 1282 yds · 9 TD · 5 INT
- RBBijan Robinson#7 · 150 car · 780 yds · 5 TD · 25 rec
- WRDrake London#5 · 39 rec · 624 yds · 1 TD · 62 tgt
- WRJahan Dotson#4 · 14 rec · 337 yds · 2 TD · 30 tgt
- WROlamide Zaccheaus#14 · 5 rec · 21 yds · 0 TD · 13 tgt
- TEKyle Pitts Sr.#8 · 22 rec · 197 yds · 4 TD · 32 tgt
- LTJake Matthews#70
- LGMatthew Bergeron#65
- CRyan Neuzil#64
- RGChris Lindstrom#63
- RTJawaan Taylor#71
Vikings defense · Base 3-4 D
- RDEJalen Redmond#61 · 22 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 3 PD
- NTCaleb Banks#95 · 12 tackles
- LDELevi Drake Rodriguez#50 · 14 tackles · 1 sack
- WLBAndrew Van Ginkel#43 · 21 tackles · 6.5 sacks · 1 INT · 1 PD
- SLBDallas Turner#15 · 18 tackles · 6 sacks
- RILBBlake Cashman#51 · 62 tackles · 4.5 sacks · 5 PD
- LILBEric Wilson#55 · 41 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 PD
- RCBJames Pierre#23 · 24 tackles · 2 INT · 4 PD
- LCBIsaiah Rodgers#2 · 22 tackles · 1 INT · 4 PD
- NBByron Murphy Jr.#7 · 34 tackles · 3 INT · 6 PD
- SSJoshua Metellus#44 · 50 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 4 PD
- FSHarrison Smith#22 · 15 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 1 INT · 4 PD
Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.
| Stat | ATL off | Favors ATL · Favors MIN | MIN def allows | NFL avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||||
| EPA per play | -0.10#29 | -0.17#1 | +0.00 | |
| Success rate | 43%#15 | 37%#2 | 44% | |
| Yards per play | 5.6#13 | 4.7#2 | 5.4 | |
| Explosive play rate | 9%#17 | 9%#14 | 9% | |
| Passing | ||||
| Pass EPA per dropback | -0.18#29 | -0.24#1 | +0.03 | |
| Sack rate | 7%#18 | 11%#1 | 7% | |
| Running | ||||
| Run EPA per carry | -0.02#9 | -0.11#10 | -0.08 | |
| Yards per carry | 4.7#5 | 4.5#25 | 4.1 | |
| Money downs | ||||
| 3rd down conversion | 35%#29 | 31%#2 | 41% | |
| Red zone TD rate | 64%#14 | 27%#1 | 61% | |
| Targets by position | ||||
| WR yards per game | 133#21 | 123#6 | 147 | |
| TE yards per game | 37#26 | 39#4 | 55 | |
| TE targets per game | 6.5#25 | 6.3#6 | 7.6 | |
| RB receiving yards per game | 30#19 | 18#3 | 32 | |
Falcons: EPA per throw
Vikings: EPA allowed per throw
Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.