The Minnesota Vikings lost their home opener to the Atlanta Falcons 22-6.
After an electric start to the McCarthy era, fans were excited to see what the team would look like at home. Despite Minnesota being down key contributors, like Christian Darrisaw, Blake Cashman, Harrison Smith, and Andrew Van Ginkel, hopes were high for this team to go to 2-0.
Minnesota’s defense started on the field, and Bijan Robinson immediately put them on their back foot. Robinson ran for two first downs, putting the ball deep in Vikings territory. It set the tone, but both defenses stood firm, preventing either offense from reaching the end zone until deep in the fourth quarter.
Still, Minnesota’s offense sputtered more often. Atlanta was at least able to get into range for the newly acquired John Parker Romo to nail all five of his field goal attempts. McCarthy made a dynamite pass to a streaking Justin Jefferson to set up a field goal in the final seconds of the first half, keeping the score close and hinting at the possibility that, like last week against the Chicago Bears, the Vikings’ offense might go into overdrive. There were an awful lot of similarities between the two games.
That is where the similarities would end. The Falcons continued to get pressure on McCarthy. While the defense would do its best to keep the team in the hunt, the offensive line wouldn’t allow it. On the first play of the fourth quarter, an unblocked pass rusher hit McCarthy, forcing a fumble and recovering the ball. Atlanta hit another field goal to go up 15-6 that would prove to be a back-breaker even without more Minnesota turnovers and, in the final minutes, a Falcons touchdown.
Here are five numbers that tell the story of the Vikings’ frustrating loss to the Falcons.
18
The Vikings’ offense had yet another slow start, gaining just 18 yards in the first quarter. They got their first first down of the game on the last play of the first quarter when Jordan Mason converted a third-and-two. Minnesota’s offense gave fans flashbacks to Week 1 when the offensive line yielded pressure on third downs, resulting in a scramble that was short and a sack.
The defense bailed out the offense again, holding the Falcons’ offense to just 3 points while defending a short field. Eric Wilson also created a turnover by punching the ball out of Drake London’s hands when the Falcons were threatening to put more points on the board.
ERIC WILSON PUNCHES IT FREE.#Vikings football 🫡
📺 .@SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/2Nav8tAb86
— Zone Coverage (@ZoneCoverageMN) September 15, 2025
While the defense is more than capable of keeping them in games against teams like the Falcons, there is legitimate uncertainty about what might happen to the Vikings if the offense starts slow against a team with an explosive offense. Kevin O’Connell and the offense need to work on starting games hot, something he has historically been good at.
5
Minnesota’s offensive line gave up five sacks in the first half alone, struggling with the same issues they had last week. The offense was once more without Darrisaw. It appears that the coaching staff wants to give him as much time as possible during his recovery from ACL surgery.
McCarthy faced pressure on third down again this week and had to escape, nearly extending the drive for a first down.
On the next third down, the offensive line collapsed in on McCarthy again, resulting in the first sack of the game. Atlanta’s two first-round edge rushers would continue to make the offensive line’s life hellish all first half.
Things would only get worse as Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly would miss a drive, being evaluated with a concussion. Michael Jurgens replaced him as the backup center. He gave up a pressure on his first passing snap, and his second snap, where McCarthy was forced to release the ball quicker than anticipated, resulting in an interception.
What a pick by Bowman Jr.! @AtlantaFalcons
ATLvsMIN on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/TmHuz3x3K6
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2025
Minnesota’s offensive line really struggled with the five-down lineman fronts that the Falcons showed McCarthy. Atlanta’s defense pressured McCarthy on 61% of his dropbacks.
1
The Vikings finished the game with a center, left guard, and left tackle that had just one start between the three of them in Jurgens, Jackson, and Walter Rouse.
Coming into this season, there was a lot of excitement about Minnesota’s offensive line and the experience that the unit would have. While everyone knew that rookie Donovan Jackson would have some growing to do in his first season as a starter, being sandwiched between Darrisaw and Kelly is an ideal spot for any young guard.
However, in his second game, Jackson was the offensive lineman with the most experience on the left side, between Jergens and Rouse, because Justin Skule and Kelly were unable to finish the game with injuries.
Atlanta’s defense capitalized on the inexperience up the middle and on McCarthy’s blind side, not letting the young play caller settle into a rhythm. Jackson, the player who most thought would have an easy start to the year, had a much harder job being between two players who had yet to make a start in the NFL.
5.76
The Atlanta Falcons averaged 5.76 yards per run with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. There were signs of how this game would go from the first snap. Robinson broke off two massive runs to start the game, getting the Falcons into the red zone.
It wasn’t necessarily that Atlanta’s offensive line dominated Minnesota’s defensive line. Instead, it was incredible work from both running backs. Both refused to go down on initial contact, making multiple defenders miss. Brian Flores and Co. had to generate a few run blitzes in their attempt to stuff Robinson and stifle the Falcons. But the Falcons running back somehow always seemed to find the hole and make a play.
While Atlanta’s running game uplifted Penix and made his life a lot easier, Minnesota’s ground attack was unable to get going. That, combined with the injuries and poor play from the offensive line, made all the difference.
4.3
Minnesota’s offense finished the game with 4.3 yards per play. The offense looked exactly like what we saw in the first three quarters of last week’s game. They were simply unable to move the ball down the field. While part of this is due to the poor offensive line play, a lot of it also came down to the timing. It seems that McCarthy is still learning the timing aspects of this offense, as there were multiple times today when it looked like everything was out of sync.