Vikings Explode, Eagles' Cracks Emerge, Rams Turn Back The Clock | 4 Downs

Playoff Spots Were Clinched, Division Championships Won, and Aaron Rodgers' Jets Were Put Out of Their Misery

Kirk Cousins’ Minneapolis return became Justin Jefferson’s 2024 revival.

As the Vikings’ recent past clashed with its present, Minnesota’s future at wide receiver stole the spotlight in the Twin Cities.

Sam Darnold authored his most impressive performance of what has been a personal renaissance of a season. However, the Vikings’ 42-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons was powered by Jefferson and fellow Vikings receiver Jordan Addison.

Jefferson entered Sunday having not caught a touchdown pass since Oct. 20 against the Detroit Lions, but lest anyone forget, the 25-year-old issued a stark reminder against the Falcons that he remains the most dominant receiver in the sport.

Whether it was taking advantage of a busted coverage on one touchdown reception or simply running a flawless route on another, Jefferson made his presence felt, catching all seven of his targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Addison made a compelling case that on perhaps as many as 25 other rosters across the league, he would be the one sitting atop the depth chart at receiver.

Inside this column; the Eagles survive against the Carolina Panthers but real cause for worry emerges, Patrick Mahomes announces once again that the handwringing over the Chiefs may be misplaced, Zach Charbonnet runs wild, and much more.

Addison flashed game-breaking speed on one of his three touchdowns while showing stellar instincts on another, when he came back to a poorly-thrown pass from Sam Darnold for an 49-yard touchdown catch and run.

The 22-year-old Addison finished with a game-high eight catches for 133 yards and three touchdowns.

One NFL executive suggested the Vikings’ win, and how it came about, should send aftershocks throughout the NFC.

“That’s probably the best receiving corps in the NFL,” an NFL scouting director tells me, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “Jefferson and Addison are both smooth route-runners with excellent hands, and can run the route tree with great run after the catch ability.”

As explosive as the Vikings’ receiving duo was on Sunday, Darnold was the ultimate facilitator.

Darnold completed 22-of-28 passing attempts, for 347 yards and five touchdowns and a very nearly perfect 157.9 passer rating, continuing a season that has placed him on the fringes of the NFL MVP conversation and has the Vikings nipping at the heels of Dan Campbell’s dominant Detroit Lions.

Perhaps the epicenter of those aftershocks is in Atlanta, where suddenly the Falcons’ immediate future at quarterback may very much be in doubt.

Atlanta has now lost four straight games, and a pair of Kirk Cousins interceptions Sunday (his seventh and eighth in the past four weeks) raise the specter that the Falcons could turn to No. 8 overall pick, rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as early as next week.

Cousins finished 23-of-37 passing for 344 yards with two ugly interceptions.

Since the Falcons’ closing stretch includes games against the woebegone Raiders in Las Vegas, a home date against the rudderless Giants, and a trip to Washington against the Commanders before closing against the division-rival Carolina Panthers who are playing some of their best football of the season, this final month may be a soft landing for Penix to take flight.

While Cousins in guaranteed over $100 million, the Falcons invested a premium pick in Penix Jr., but still have a 46 percent chance of making the postseason. That may be the only saving grace for the veteran incumbent starter, regardless of his recent play or outside pressure to make a change.

Not everyone inside the league agrees that the time is now for the Falcons to make the switch.