MINNEAPOLIS —All the storylines surrounding the Week 14 game between the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings came to a close Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, but it wasn't the ending the visiting team needed.
Final score: 42-21
Why it's important: The Falcons now drop below the 0.500 mark with a 6-7 record, and their current slide extends to four games.
Since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also won Sunday, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, the Falcons are no longer in the NFC South lead. The Buccaneers' 7-6 record puts them in sole possession of first place entering Week 15.
Key takeaway: Turnovers really ruined any chance of the Falcons beating the Vikings.
More: The Falcons had three turnovers – one fumble and two interceptions — all in timely moments. The first pick came as the score was tied, preventing the Falcons from pulling ahead. The fumble led to a Vikings' touchdown that put the home team up by two scores. And the second pick set up another Vikings touchdown. Minnesota cashed in 14 points on three turnovers.
Key moment: The Falcons fumbled away the opportunity to answer a Vikings' touchdown.
More: The Vikings took a 28-21 lead early in the fourth quarter with an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Darnold to wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
On the following kickoff, Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III fumbled the ball after returning it 31 yards. Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II was credited with the force and fullback C.J. Ham with the recovery at the Atlanta 32-yard line.
The Vikings' offense was then back on the field and compiled a seven-play scoring drive. Darnold completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Addison, putting the Vikings ahead by two scores.
Of course, the Falcons then got another chance to at least cut into the Vikings' advantage. But Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was intercepted during the next drive, diminishing Atlanta's shot at a comeback.
Standout performance: The Falcons' defense had four sacks against Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, proving the unit could essentially repeat its five-sack performance from last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Sunday's count came from inside linebacker Kaden Elliss, defensive lineman Eddie Goldman, outside linebackers Matthew Judon and Arnold Ebiketie. The Falcons really used the bye in Week 12 to self-scout and improve this area of their defensive performance.
Number to know: 0. The number of touchdown passes Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw. For the fourth consecutive game, Cousins failed to find the end zone through the air. This extends his career-long drought. Instead, he threw two interceptions, giving him eight picks in the last four games.
A quick tweet: The Falcons editorial staff of Tori McElhaney, Will McFadden, Terrin Waack and Amna Subhan share their gut reactions to Sunday's outcome in 280 characters or less.
- McElhaney: Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison exposed this Falcons secondary.
- McFadden: The Falcons were up for this game, but some familiar mistakes took them out of it.
- Waack: U.S. Bank Stadium is an insane environment.
- Subhan: The "return of Kirk Cousins" storyline deserved a better ending than this.
Settling the storylines:
- **Mike Hughes active**: The Falcons' starting cornerback has been dealing with a neck injury, having missed the last two losses to the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. Hughes had started every game opposite A.J. Terrell until his injury. In his absence, Clark Phillips III took over the No. 2 corner spot. Hughes returned to his starting role Sunday in Minnesota.
- **Red-zone struggles**: The Falcons' production in the red zone had dropped from a 56.1% success rate in Weeks 1-9 — when they went 6-3 — to a 25% success rate from Weeks 10-13 — when they went 0-3 with a bye. That dropped their season success rate to 50%. The Vikings entered Sunday's game allowing a 56.3% success rate in the red zone on defense.
- **Player of the Game prediction**: All eyes were on Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins as he made his return to Minnesota. Cousins played for the Vikings for six seasons before coming to Atlanta as a free agent. He had a mixed reception in U.S. Bank Stadium, with the majority of fans booing but some cheering.
- AtlantaFalcons.com had multiple stories on Kirk Cousins' homecoming in the lead-up to Sunday's game. Catch up on those headlines below:
Looking forward: The Falcons have a longer week of preparation ahead since they're scheduled for the Week 15 Monday Night Football game on Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Atlanta will play the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium during Week 14, presented by Grady.