Michael Penix leads J.J. McCarthy in second quarter of Sunday Night Football

With his first catch of the night, the star Vikings wide receiver has reached 500 career catches, at 26 years and 90 days old. That ties former Arizona star Larry Fitzgerald as the youngest to 500 receptions in NFL history, down to the exact day.

Atlanta didn’t have any giveaways in Week 1, and now it has its first of the year.

Falcons have to be feeling a little nervous right now. Last week, Atlanta dominated in yardage and time of possession and still lost. The Falcons are doing both again tonight but can’t give themselves a bigger cushion early.

What looked like a long reception for Atlanta’s Drake London instead turned into a fumble recovery for Minnesota as the Vikings hope the turnover will help get them back into this game. Eric Wilson punched the ball from London’s grasp as soon as he had caught the 20-yard reception. Vikings take over with 1:28 left in the opening quarter.

The Falcons are outgaining the Vikings 81-8 right now, and are averaging 7.4 yards per play compared to Minnesota’s 1.1.

However, Atlanta has little to show for it on the scoreboard, only leading 6-0 with under 5 minutes to go in the first. As the Vikings showed last week, letting them hang around could be dangerous.

Kyle Pitts Sr. during the first quarter. Stephen Maturen / Getty Images

The Vikings only went backward on their second drive of the night, forced to punt after three ineffectual downs. After two possessions the Vikings have nearly as many plays (seven) and yards from scrimmage (eight).

Under coordinator Brian Flores, Minnesota’s defense is known as a unit that likes to dictate the style of play often through liberal use of blitzes. It’s a strategy that puts offenses on the defensive. But tonight the Falcons have been able to gash the Vikings, averaging 7.4 yards per play through two drives. They only have three points to show for it, however.

Atlanta once again stalled on a third down inside the red zone.

Michael Penix threw incomplete on third-and-5 from the Minnesota 10, and the Falcons settled for their second field goal of the game.

Despite dominating offensively so far, Atlanta is up only one score.

Whoa!

Minnesota attempted a fourth-down conversion from its own territory and was stopped for a loss on 4th-and-inches.

The Falcons are now already driving inside the Vikings 20-yard line.

J.J. McCarthy is stopped on fourth down by Kaden Elliss during the first quarter. Stephen Maturen / Getty Images

By leading a comeback win in Chicago in his first career NFL start, Minnesota’s quarterback became the first quarterback since Steve Young in 1985 to overcome a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to win in his NFL debut, per NBC Sports research.

Parker Romo kicked the field goal for the Falcons on their opening drive.

Younhoe Koo, who has been Atlanta’s kicker for most of the team’s games since 2021, was benched this week after making only 2-of-3 field goals in Week 1.

The Falcons are up 3-0 after a field goal on their opening drive.

Atlanta had a third-and-5 but went backward after a timeout and a false start penalty. The Minnesota crowd definitely seemed to have an effect there.

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota’s 22-year-old, second-year quarterback, is facing a bunch of new challenges this week. For one, he just won his first NFL start last Monday. Four days later, he became a father to a baby boy, Rome. News of his pending fatherhood emerged after Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that McCarthy had left practice early — to be with his fiancee in time for the birth. His fiancee later posted a photo to social media of the new family.

“It’s an awesome moment as a father myself to see his reaction to it on the best day of his life,” O’Connell said. The coach said his advice to the new dad included pointers on what to say and what to avoid talking to his fiancee about during their ride to the hospital.

“Quarterback development,” O’Connell joked.

J.J. McCarthy warms up before a game against the Chicago Bears at Solider Field on September 8. Perry Knotts / Getty Images

Robinson finished the Falcons’ Week 1 loss with 24 rushing yards. He had 47 yards on his first 3 carries tonight.

… And “Sunday Night Football” is underway! Atlanta’s first play from scrimmage was a big run into Vikings territory by Bijan Robinson.

Linebacker Blake Cashman injured his hamstring in a Week 1 win at Chicago and was put in injured reserve by Minnesota this week, a distinction that will require him to miss a minimum of four games. It’s a particularly difficult loss for the Vikings because Cashman carried a responsibility of calling plays for the defense on the field.

When Falcons quarterback Michael Penix found running back Bijan Robinson in the flat for a short pass in Week 1, the route was expected to gain around 16 yards, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Instead, Robinson took it 50 yards for a touchdown, making it the highest yards-after-catch above expected of the season’s opening week.

After suffering a shoulder injury late in Atlanta’s Week 1 loss, receiver Drake London is expected to play against Minnesota, Falcons coach Raheem Morris told reporters Wednesday.

“That’s not saying that he (will ultimately be available to play), but when you ask me do I expect him to play? Of course,” Morris said. “Drake is the ultimate tough guy. When he says he’s going to go practice, that tells you a lot.”

On a team-high 15 targets against Tampa, London caught a team-high eight passes for 55 yards.

Chris Simms and Connor Rogers analyze the shifts to the NFC North winner odds on DraftKings Sportsbook and how it’s “only going to get better” for the Vikings, who are now the second favorite to win the division.

Younghoe Koo lost his job as Atlanta’s starting kicker entering Week 2 after missing a potentially game-tying kick from 44 yards a week again in an eventual Falcons loss to Tampa Bay.

Koo has been the Falcons since 2017 and their starter since 2019. Now that distinction goes to Parker Romo, who was elevated from the team’s practice squad.

Koo made 154 of 174 kicks during his first six seasons, an accuracy of 88.5 percent. Since last season, that has slipped to 73 percent.

The Atlanta Falcons take on the Minnesota Vikings on “Sunday Night Football,” and “FNIA” previews the defensive prowess of both teams and which QB can handle the pressure best.

Jac Collinsworth, Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy talk about Younghoe Koo and other kickers struggling during Week 1, sharing why having “a kicker that doesn’t come through in those big moments” can really hurt NFL teams.

Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick preview a “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the Falcons and the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, sharing why Atlanta’s defense “is really the key” and “this is going to be a pretty close game.”

The Atlanta Falcons take on the Minnesota Vikings on “Sunday Night Football,” and the “FNIA” crew previews the defensive prowess of both teams and which QB can handle the pressure best.

Rodney Harrison explains why he was “thoroughly impressed” with J.J McCarthy’s display in a comeback win vs. the Bears.

After missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury, J.J. McCarthy made his NFL debut in Week 1, leading the Vikings to an 11-point fourth quarter comeback on the road as Minnesota defeated Chicago, 27-24 (Minnesota trailed 17-6 entering the fourth quarter).

McCarthy, 22, is the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL this season.

McCarthy became the first QB to overcome a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter of a debut start since Steve Young in 1985 (with Tampa Bay).

Brian Flores is entering his third season as the Vikings defensive coordinator. While Minnesota has ranked exactly in the middle of the pack in total defense under Flores (16th in NFL in both 2023 and 2024), the Vikings had a top-five scoring defense last season while putting heavy pressure on the quarterback and finishing tied for the league lead with 33 takeaways.

Flores is known for drawing up aggressive blitz packages, with the Vikings’ 49 sacks last season tied for fourth-most in the NFL. The pass rush was led by Jonathan Greenard (12 sacks) and Andrew Van Ginkel (11.5 sacks), who were one of two pairs of teammates to each post 11+ sacks last season (also Houston’s Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter).

Mike Florio and Chris Simms look ahead to the Week 2 “Sunday Night Football” matchup and explore why they feel confident the Vikings have the upper hand against the Falcons.

Atlanta rushed for just 69 yards, the seventh-lowest rushing total in Week 1, and its 2.5-yards-per-carry average ranked fifth-worst. And consider, too, that nearly a third of their total rushing yards came from their quarterback, Michael Penix. Running backs carried the ball 22 times combined for 48 yards.

Instead of focusing on the run in the traditional sense, Atlanta focused instead on getting running back Bijan Robinson the ball in different ways out of the backfield. He caught six passes for 100 yards, including a touchdown.

Trailing 17-10 in the third quarter, Atlanta came back to take a 20-17 lead with just over two minutes remaining after QB Michael Penix Jr. rushed for a 4-yard touchdown. Tampa Bay then drove down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 59 seconds remaining in regulation.

Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo missed a game-tying 44-yard field goal attempt with six seconds remaining.

After struggling to get to the quarterback last season, the Falcons put an emphasis on improving the pass rush. Last season, Atlanta’s 31 sacks were the second-fewest in the NFL, while they allowed the highest completion percentage in the league (69.9%).

Atlanta used its first pick in the 2025 NFL draft (15th overall) on Jalon Walker (Georgia), who won the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in college last season. They then traded back into the first round to select edge James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee) with the 26th overall pick. Pearce had 17.5 sacks in 26 games played over his final two seasons at Tennessee.

In free agency, Atlanta signed Leonard Floyd (from San Francisco) to a one-year, $10 million deal. Floyd, who turns 33 on Monday, has posted 8.5+ sacks in each of the last five seasons.

The Falcons had just one sack in their Week 1 loss vs. Tampa Bay. While Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield went 17 of 32 with just 167 passing yards, he did throw three touchdown passes.

The Falcons had a top-10 pick in the NFL draft for four straight years from 2021 to 2024, taking an offensive player with all four of those picks. Prior to taking QB Michael Penix Jr. in 2024, the Falcons selected TE Kyle Pitts (2021), WR Drake London (2022) and RB Bijan Robinson (2023). While Pitts has not developed into an elite tight end as was hoped, London and Robinson are the top two playmakers in the Falcons offense.

Robinson had 3,350 scrimmage yards over his first two seasons (third-most in NFL). The only players with more scrimmage yards in that span were Saquon Barkley (3,525) and Derrick Henry (3,495).

London suffered a shoulder injury late in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s Week 1 loss vs. Tampa Bay and was not on the field for the Falcons’ final plays of the game. There was no update on his status after the game.

The Falcons have not reached the playoffs since the 2017 season, with their current seven-season drought tied for the second-longest active playoff drought in the NFL. That 2017 season is also the last time Atlanta finished above .500 (went 10-6).

Atlanta’s seven-season playoff drought is the franchise’s longest since 1983-1990, when it went eight straight years without reaching the postseason.

Denny Carter and Patrick Daugherty break down a “roller coaster” NFL debut for the Minnesota Vikings on “MNF,” where the first three quarters were rough but the final quarter shows that he can be a fantasy QB streamer.

Since being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, Justin Jefferson has been arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. He has posted 1,000+ receiving yards in each of his first five seasons and has been named to four Pro Bowls with two first-team All-Pro selections (2022 and 2024). In the 2022 season, Jefferson was named NFL offensive player of the year.

Jefferson’s 7,432 career receiving yards are the most in NFL history through a player’s first five seasons. He needs 944 receiving yards this season to pass Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most receiving yards through a player’s first six seasons.

The only season in which Jefferson had fewer than 1,400 receiving yards was in 2023, when he missed seven games with a hamstring injury (but still had 1,074 receiving yards in 10 games played).

Pro Football Focus dives into the numbers around Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy ahead of Week 2 “Sunday Night Football” in addition to other impact players of note in this matchup.

After leading the Vikings to 14 wins last season (second-most in a season in franchise history), head coach Kevin O’Connell signed a multiyear contract extension in January. Just a few weeks after signing his new deal, he was named NFL head coach of the year, becoming just the second Vikings head coach to win the award (after Bud Grant in 1969).

Minnesota has won 13-plus games in two of three seasons under O’Connell. Prior to O’Connell’s tenure, Minnesota had won 13-plus games twice in franchise history (1998 and 2017).

Fantasy Football Pregame gives its best over/under props for Week 2 of the NFL season, including CeeDee Lamb receiving yards, Kyler Murray combined pass and rush yards, and more.

J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix previously played each other in the final college game of their careers, when McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines defeated Penix and the Washington Huskies in the national title game in January 2024.

While Penix took over as Atlanta’s starting QB toward the end of last season, McCarthy missed his entire rookie year with a knee injury. This will be McCarthy’s first NFL game in front of a home crowd.

Last season was Atlanta’s first under head coach Raheem Morris, with the Falcons going 8-9 and finishing second in the NFC South but missing the playoffs for the seventh straight year.

Kirk Cousins started the first 14 games of the season and had the Falcons sitting at 7-7 and still in the hunt for a playoff berth before they turned to Penix, who was named the starter for the final three games of the season. After beating the Giants in his first career start, Penix and the Falcons then lost each of their final two games in overtime (at WAS, vs. CAR) and missed the playoffs.