It is crunch time for the Falcons to figure out who they want to be this season. Kirk Cousins hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three games, though he has thrown six picks; let me remind you this is the same guy that threw for almost 800 yards and eight touchdowns against Tampa Bay this season. What was once a strong lead in the NFC South has now become a tight race with the Bucs whose remaining schedule isn’t all that threatening. Cousins should re-emerge eventually, let’s just hope it’s not too late.
After a few weeks on the outside, the Vikings have climbed back into the top five of the NFL Power Rankings. They are more vulnerable than their early win streak initially indicated, but nonetheless they’ve found themselves at 10-2 on a five-game run. They’ve got their work cut out for them in the next five weeks, playing the Falcons, Bears, Seahawks, Packers, and Lions. Because of their inconsistency, the Falcons can slide under the radar, but defenses beware if the real Kirk Cousins shows up.
Cousins has recorded the fifth-highest completion percentage over expected (+5.3%) and the seventh-most yards per attempt (6.9) on quick passes (under 2.5 seconds) this season.
Cousins has also thrown 10 touchdown passes on such attempts in 2024, tied for the fifth-most in the NFL.
The Vikings defense has held opponents to the 10th-fewest yards per attempt (6.0) and the second-lowest completion percentage over expected on quick passes this season. Additionally, they have also allowed just a single touchdown on such throws over their last five games.