Ugly Game Looming Between Vikings And Falcons

Vikings vs. Falcons, 1:00 ET

For those of you that read these religiously, first, thank you, but second, you'll probably be a bit confused about this pick. On Thursday I took the over in a game with the total at 37 because I was expecting both middle-to-bottom-of-the-pack offenses to find some success against their opponents. Today, I'm looking at this game between the Vikings and the Falcons and wondering where the offense will come from.

The Vikings are going to be without Kirk Cousins for the remainder of the season. Documentaries and things can really humanize a person and Cousins is one of the guys that did that for me. I feel bad for him as a person and a player, it doesn't ever seem like everything can align for him on the field. In any case, the Vikings at 4-4 must overcome the loss of their starter and figure out a way to win without him and their best receiver, Justin Jefferson. The team turns to Jaren Hall to lead the way. He was in the game against Green Bay and completed three of his four passes for 23 yards. That's encouraging and positive that he at least got a few snaps before the end of the last game. I would expect the Vikings to try and rely on play-action and the running game in an attempt to slow down the game and take a little pressure off the quarterback. Conversely, Atlanta has to be expecting that game plan. The Vikings do seem to have something in rookie Jordan Addison and I am expecting Hall to look his way early and often. The Vikings defense isn't great, but they should be good enough to stop a Falcons offense that has been rather inconsistent as well.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: Jordan Addison #3 of the Minnesota Vikings poses for a portrait during the NFLPA Rookie Premiere on May 20, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

The Falcons have a tight end they picked in the first round. They have a running back that they picked in the first round. Both players were looked at as generational talents. Bijan Robinson, the running back, is playing fairly well, but it is like they treat him with kid gloves. He's only averaging 11.5 carries per game and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season last week. He also only has three total touchdowns this year. Kyle Pitts, their tight end, has one touchdown this season and is averaging around 40 yards per game. Now they are switching away from Desmond Ridder, another young draft pick for Taylor Heinicke. He is a quarterback that had a really good 2021 and then was just okay in 2022. Now he is on his fourth team looking for some sustained success. The problem here won't be the weapons. The Vikings should be capable of at least containing Robinson a bit as they try to dare Heinicke to throw on him. You would think this could be a good game for Pitts because it should provide an opportunity for the quarterback to throw shorter routes to him and complete easy throws as he eases into the game.

This isn't one of those games that I expect big plays to happen in. I would be surprised if we see a touchdown in the first quarter or maybe even the first half. I think both quarterbacks will need time to settle in and get adjusted to the game. Now that teams have time to prepare for each other it should be harder on both. I'm going to take the under 37 in this one.

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