Atlanta Falcons (4-5) – Minnesota Vikings (5-4): 28-31
There are two minutes left to play. Trailing by four points, Joshua Dobbs (20/30, 158 yards, 2TDs, 2 fumbles; 7 races, 66 yards, 1TD) must go back 75 yards to offer victory to his team. The former Cardinals will then achieve an almost perfect possession. With his legs and his arm, Dobbs advances his team to the opposing seven yards. He then found Brandon Powell (2 receptions, 15 yards, 1TD) who gave the Vikings victory..
Minnesota Concussion
In a game where both teams start with a new quarterback, it is the Falcons who strike first. Taylor Heinicke (21/38, 268 yards, 1TD, 1int) advances his team enough to open the scoring with a field goal, 3-0. For his first start, Jaren Hall is showing good things. The rookie quarterback brings the Vikings to the edge of the end zone. He even tries to finish it himself but is roughly stopped at 1 yard. His team equalizes, but their match is over. Victim of a concussion, Hall must give way to Dobbs.
The former Cardinals will have a catastrophic start. His first series ends with a safety. For his second, he lost the ball on a sack. The short week of common training and the lack of knowledge of the game book are clearly felt. The Falcons took advantage of his errors to take the advantage, via two new field goals, 11-3.
The third series will be much more to Dobbs’ advantage. It begins first with the injury of KJ Osborn (2 receptions, 17 yards), progresses thanks to a long distance reception from Jordan Addison (5 receptions, 52 yards), then is saved by a miraculous run from Dobbs. It ends in the enzone, thanks to Mattison (16 races, 44 yards; 2 receptions, 49 yards, 1TD) who brings Minnesota to one point, 11-10 at halftime.
Upon returning from the locker room, Dobbs resumes his bad habits and loses the ball again. Once again, the Falcons do not advance and settle for a field goal, 14-10. If Minnesota comes back to one point, Atlanta finally finds the solution in the opposing defense. On their 40 yards, the locals attempt a screen pass which allows Jonnu Smith to score his team’s first touchdown21-13.
Resilience Vikings
They lead by eight points, they get the ball back and the Falcons decide to shoot themselves twice in the foot. First of all, it was Bijan Robinson (11 races, 51 yards), little used since the start of the match, who made the first error. Just as he finally seems to find some space and is headed for a big gain, the rookie runner lets the ball escape on contact. The Vikings immediately took advantage to equalize thanks to an 18-yard run from Dobbs which ended in the promised land. It was then Heinicke who was intercepted. Minnesota is limited to a field goal but takes the advantage for the first time in the match, 21-24.
With their backs to the wall, the locals rely on their runners. A possession of almost seven minutes, alternating Robinson and Allgeier (12 races, 39 yards, 1TD), ends in the endzone. Atlanta gets back in front two minutes from the end, 28-24.
The rest is known. Minnesota finds a way to get back in front and leaves only 20 seconds for Heinicke to respond. It’s too little to give the locals a real chance. Without Darrisaw, without Cousins, without Jefferson and with a quarterback who doesn’t even have a week of common life in his legs, the Vikings found a way to string together a fourth consecutive success.
