3 bold predictions for Vikings against Falcons in Kirk Cousins revenge game

With the Detroit Lions earning a hard-fought 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings need a win this Sunday to remain just one game back of Dan Campbell & Co. in the NFC North.

And if the Vikes can get that victory, which would extend their winning streak to six, it will come at the expense of former franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins, who returns to U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since signing a four-year, $160 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons this past offseason.

The Falcons, of course, could use a victory as well. Losers of three straight, Atlanta is still sitting atop the NFC South at 6-6 and has already swept the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who own the same 6-6 record.

That said, however, with Cousins struggling, the Falcons are heading in the wrong direction, while the Bucs have won two straight and have a much easier game this week against the two-win Las Vegas Raiders. So, Atlanta badly needs to get back into the win column.

But we don't see that happening, as we're calling for Sam Darnold to outplay his predecessor to get Minnesota to 11-2. And that's where we'll kick things off as we get into some predictions for the Vikings in their Week 14 matchup with the Falcons.

Sam Darnold will throw two TDs and no interceptions for the fourth straight week

It's no secret that Sam Darnold has struggled with turnovers this season.

After throwing five interceptions in Minnesota's first seven games, he threw two against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 and then three the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thankfully for the Vikings, the picks proved inconsequential, as they won both games. But it was becoming a major concern, as were his lost fumbles.

Since that Week 10 win over the Jags, though, Darnold has taken much better care of the football. While credited with a fumble in Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans, that wasn't his fault, as the pitch he made hit Aaron Jones directly in the numbers. So, that's on Jones, who is having some fumbling issues of his own at the moment.

Outside of that, Darnold has been turnover-free and hasn't thrown an interception since the Jacksonville game, throwing two touchdowns and zero picks in each of his last three outings.

And we're calling for that trend to continue against the Falcons, who have just seven interceptions as a team this season and zero since picking off Baker Mayfield twice in a win over the Bucs in Week 8. Expect a fourth consecutive two-touchdown, zero-interception outing from Darnold here.

Justin Jefferson will score his first TD since Week 7

Two weeks ago, facing the Chicago Bears, Justin Jefferson had not only his worst game of the season but one of the worst of his career, catching just two passes for 27 yards.

But as he tends to do, the three-time Pro Bowler had a strong bounce-back effort this past Sunday in the Vikings' 23-22 comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, recording seven receptions on nine targets for a team-high 99 yards.

Despite his efforts against Arizona, however, Jefferson failed to find the end zone. And that's an ongoing issue as the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver hasn't scored a touchdown since all the way back in Minnesota's Week 7 loss to the Lions.

So, he's clearly due, and we're calling for this futility streak to come to an end against Atlanta. As we've already predicted Darnold to throw two touchdowns, we'll say that at least one will go to No. 18.

The Vikings' defense will intercept Kirk Cousins at least twice

While Darnold's interception issues have improved in recent weeks, Kirk Cousins is trending in the wrong direction.

After going two straight weeks without a pick in wins over the Bucs and Dallas Cowboys, the former Viking has thrown six during this current three-game skid, four of which came this past Sunday in a 17-13 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cousins now leads the league with 13 interceptions on the season, and he's got the worst possible opponent in front of him while trying to get this problem under control.

The Vikings, of course, lead the NFL in interceptions with 18 and have recorded at least one in 10 of their 12 games. The only opposing quarterbacks who avoided getting picked off by Minnesota were Jared Goff and Caleb Williams.

But don't expect Cousins to be the third. Between being a little amped up for his homecoming and perhaps fighting to keep his job with Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings, Cousins could easily try to force some throws that simply aren't there.

And he'll pay the price, as we're calling for Minnesota to add at least two picks to its league-leading total in what we're also predicting to be a double-digit victory.