In their first game of the 2019 season, the Minnesota Vikings had no trouble coming out with a victory over the Atlanta Falcons inside U.S Bank Stadium.
Expectations entering this season weren’t as high as they were in 2018 for the Minnesota Vikings. But after the Vikings’ impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, those expectations might have taken a big increase.
In their opening matchup of the 2019 NFL season, Minnesota took care of business and walked out of U.S. Bank Stadium with an easy 28-12 win over the Falcons.
The defense took the field for the Vikings first and set the tone for the team immediately. Minnesota linebacker Anthony Barr got a sack on Atlanta’s opening play and the Vikings finished the drive with a blocked punt that gave them the ball on the Falcons’ 33-yard line.
Three plays later, Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins connected with Adam Thielen for a 23-yard touchdown. It was pretty much all Vikings from that point on.
Many figured Minnesota would put more focus into running the ball this year and that’s just what they did on Sunday. The Vikings finished the afternoon against Atlanta with more than 170 rushing yards, led by Dalvin Cook who pitched in with 111 yards on 21 carries.
Minnesota’s defense looked in mid-season form on Sunday. The Vikings’ defenders put pressure on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan all day long and Minnesota was able to force Atlanta to commit three turnovers.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer really couldn’t have asked for a better performance from his team to kick off the 2019 season. Now Minnesota will have to do their best to continue to perform at a similar level for the remainder of the year.
Sunday’s win should give the Vikings a nice confidence boost as they head into a tough Week 2 matchup on the road against the Green Bay Packers.