Minnesota Vikings knock off Falcons in crazy Week 9 game

The Minnesota Vikings overcame a big test in Week 9 when they visited the Atlanta Falcons in a battle of backup quarterbacks.

Week 9's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons was advertised as a battle of backups with Sam Howell and Kirk Cousins. However, that narrative changed early in the first quarter of the contest, which ended with a final score of 31-28.

Rookie quarterback Jaren Hall scrambled for the end zone in the first quarter and the tackle saw his head bounce off the turf. Hall exited the game and did not return, paving the way for new arrival Joshua Dobbs to lead the team.

The first half of the game was ugly for the Vikings, A Dobbs fumble led to an Atlanta field goal and Minnesota took a safety on a play where blocking struggled to pick up pressure. K.J. Osborn was carted off the field after he absorbed a huge hit in the second quarter.

The Vikings were already without starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw but lost Jaren Hall and K.J. Osborn to concussions. Despite that, Minnesota went into the half down only one point to the Falcons.

What happened in the second half of Vikings at Falcons?

Dobbs attempted to throw a pass on Minnesota's first drive of the second half that was ruled a fumble and landed right in the bread basket of an Atlanta defender. They took advantage of that takeaway and Koo nailed another long field goal to give the Falcons a 10-14 lead.

Minnesota responded with a field goal of their own to keep the game a one-point affair. A long Jonnu Smith touchdown is answered by a Joshua Dobs rushing score with a successful two-point conversion to tie the game.

The Vikings finished their drive in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter by nailing a 31-yard field goal to give them a 24-21 lead. Minnesota then looked to control field position and time of possession in the fourth quarter.

Atlanta marched down the field, picking up third downs along the way and punched in a touchdown with a long extra point conversion to give the Falcons a 24-28 lead with a little over two minutes left in regulation.

Minnesota chipped their way down the field. Jordan Addison made an amazing sideline catch to move the chains and the clock continued to move. Joshua Dobbs scrambled for a huge fourth-down conversion to put Minnesota in the red zone, where Dobbs found Brandon Powell for the go-ahead score.

The Atlanta Falcons had 22 seconds and two time-outs. With a three-point advantage, the Minnesota Vikings kept the plays in front of them. A final Hail Mary attempt landed incomplete, giving the purple and gold the victory.