Falcons face surging Vikings today
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons recovered from a disappointing 2015, when they started 5-0 only to finish 8-8, to make it to the Super Bowl last season.
The Minnesota Vikings are trying to follow the same script. They had an 8-8 finish after a 5-0 start in 2016, but now they have the NFC’s second-best record.
The Vikings will put their seven-game winning streak on the line today when they visit the Falcons, who have won three straight.
“I think we learned a lot from that experience,” Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr said of last season’s collapse. “And I think we’re better for it. I think all the adversity that was thrown our way, we may not have overcome it at the moment, but it built us stronger for moments like these.”
The Vikings (9-2) took a three-game lead over Detroit in the NFC North by beating the Lions 30-23 last week. Minnesota boasts a high-scoring offense led by quarterback Case Keenum and a defense that ranks fifth in the league. Keenum is 7-2 as a starter and has thrown 14 touchdown passes with five interceptions in that span.
The Falcons (7-4) are encouraged by their revived offense. Julio Jones was the key in last week’s 34-20 win over Tampa Bay, catching 12 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes is expected to lead the Vikings’ coverage on Jones.
Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said he has seen a renewed commitment from his team “to make sure our style of how we play really comes across clearly.”
Minnesota’s defense leads the NFL by having allowed only a 28.5 percent success rate on third downs. That will be a key statistic to watch against the Falcons, who credit improved third-down success as a key to their recent offensive resurgence.
“We’ve been better the last couple of weeks on third down,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “We’ve been better in the red area as well. … We’ve still got to work at it.”
Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman, who has missed the past two games, could return this week after being cleared from the concussion protocol.
Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant is out because of a concussion, though.