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Falcons vs. Vikings final score, results: Bijan Robinson goes off, J.J. McCarthy struggles again as Atlanta rolls

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The Atlanta Falcons beat the Minnesota Vikings 22-6 in Week 2’s edition of “Sunday Night Football.” The Falcons came into the game after a heartbreaking loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, while the Vikings were riding high from a comeback win over the Chicago Bears. 

The Week 2 matchup told us a lot of things. First, the Atlanta defense looks legit. The Falcons followed up six sacks in Week 1 with another six against Minnesota. Second, while it seemed like Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy shook off the rust in the fourth quarter of his Week 1 win, there are still a lot of things that need fixing with his game. 

For Atlanta, head coach Raheem Morris promised that they would run the ball more in Week 2, and that certainly came to fruition. Star running back Bijan Robinson had 143 yards on 22 carries, while backup running back Tyler Allgeier had 76 yards and the lone touchdown of the game on 16 carries. Younghoe Koo was benched following his missed game-tying field goal from last week. His replacement, Parker Romo, hit all five of his field goal attempts in the Week 2 win against his former team. Atlanta will be 1-1 as they go on the road to take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. 

For Minnesota, McCarthy looked bad, just as bad as he did in the first three quarters of the Week 1 win. The Vikings had four total turnovers in the game, with the quarterback throwing two interceptions and fumbling once. He finished with just 158 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 37.5. Minnesota also sustained several new injuries to the offensive line, running back Aaron Jones and the defense, which could cause problems for the Vikings as they prepare to take on the Cincinnati Bengals at home. 

The Sporting News tracked score updates and highlights from the NFL’s Week 2 “Sunday Night Football” game between the Falcons and Vikings. 

STREAM: Watch Falcons vs. Vikings live with Fubo (free trial)

Falcons vs. Vikings final score

 

NFL HQ: Live NFL scores | Updated NFL standings | Full NFL schedule

Who won Vikings vs. Falcons last night?

All times ET. 

FINAL SCORE — Falcons 22, Vikings 6

Fourth Quarter

11:17 p.m. — In a perfect summary of the night, Minnesota muffed the punt and the Falcons have to kneel the ball once for the win. 

11:16 p.m. — Atlanta takes over with 2:35 left in the game. Allgeier runs it up the middle for seven yards to bring up the two-minute warning. After the break, Allgeier went up the middle again for a gain of two. The backup running back ran to the right for no gain, but the Falcons are more concerned with draining the clock than with the yardage. The Vikings would have to pull off a miracle, but they will get the ball back. 

11:10 p.m. — McCarthy and the Vikings start the drive with 3:22 left in the game and down 16 points. The Minnesota QB gets pressured and misses his running back checkdown to Mason. He finds Hockenson on second down for a gain of 12. McCarthy scrambles and then throws a strike to Jefferson for 22 yards. McCarthy looked for Jefferson again, but threw the ball into traffic. He sailed Jefferson and it went right to a Falcons defender.

TOUCHDOWN — Falcons 22, Vikings 6

11:04 p.m. — Robinson started the drive off with a two-yard gain on first down. He got the ball again on second down, and went up the middle for two yards. On third and short, Penix hit London for a 10-yard gain, and a first down. Allgeier picked up two yards, but it came back due to holding. Penix then hit London again, for a 21-yard pickup and another first down.

Allgeier picked up four yards, and then ran to the right and for another 13 on second down. Atlanta kept feeding the hot hand and the backup running back picked up 17 yards. Allgeier then ran up the middle for one yard and the Vikings take their first timeout of the half. 

With 4:18 left in the game, the Falcons kept it on the ground, with Robinson picking up two. Minnesota takes its second timeout of the half. On third and seven, Robinson gets the handoff, and takes it for six yards. The Vikings called their final timeout. 

Atlanta lined up to go for it. Minnesota got called for a neutral zone infraction, which gave Atlanta a fresh set of downs. Allgeier barreled his way forward for one yard, but more importantly, the clock runs as the Vikings can’t stop it. On second and goal, Allgeier runs it into the endzone for the first touchdown of the game. Romo punches it in and the Falcons are up 22-6.

10:43 p.m. — Minnesota started the next drive with a seven-yard gain by Mason. The backup running back then got two yards on second down. On third and short, McCarthy threw it deep to Nailor and missed him. McCarthy overthrew him, and the ball landed a few yards in front of his receiver. 

FIELD GOAL — Falcons 15, Vikings 6

10:36 p.m. — Atlanta starts the drive on the Minnesota 38. Robinson starts the drive going up the middle for eight yards. He picked up two yards and the first down on his next carry. Atlanta again gives Robinson a carry, and he lost two yards on the play. Minnesota brought the pressure and sacked Penix for nine yards. After a timeout, on third and 21, Penix checks down to Pitts for three yards. 

Romo came on for a 54-yard field goal and nailed it to stay perfect on the day. 

10:32 p.m. — For the second time in his first two career starts, McCarthy will start the fourth quarter down. On first down, he was sacked for a nine-yard loss. McCarthy gets obliterated, fumbles, and the Falcons recover. 

Third Quarter

10:28 p.m. — Robinson started the drive running left for four yards. The Vikings sent a blitz and Penix was not ready for it. He got smoked for a loss of eight yards. On third down, Penix tried going to Pitts, but the ball was knocked down. Atlanta will punt it right back to Minnesota after an extremely fast three and out. 

10:23 p.m. — The Vikings start their next drive off with a three-yard gain by Mason. The backup running back then picked up six on a checkdown reception from McCarthy. On third and one, the Vikings ran up the middle with Mason and got stopped. Minnesota decided to go for it, and McCarthy barely picked up the first down.

Mason had a great run where he picked up 18 yards, but it got called back due to holding. McCarthy tried to hit Jones on a screen, but it fell incomplete. McCarthy ran on second down and picked up 16 yards. On third and four, Minnesota had a false start to move back five yards. On third and nine, McCarthy tried to hit Jefferson. He was short of the line to gain, but it actually fell incomplete. The Vikings have to punt. 

FIELD GOAL — Falcons 12, Vikings 6

10:13 p.m. — On first down, Robinson avoided tackles and picked up nine. He got the first down on the next play, picking up two. The Falcons had a false start, and then Penix missed London across the middle. Robinson got the direct snap and picked up 10 yards. On third and five, Penix threw for Darnell Mooney, who caught the ball for an 11-yard gain and first down.

Allgeier got stopped on first down, and lost a yard. Penix went back Mooney’s way, and he picked up nine to set up third and two. Allgeier converted the first down, picking up three yards. 

Robinson took the ball up the middle for an 18-yard gain. He got a second consecutive carry, this one going for three yards. Robinson was then on the receiving end of a five-yard pass from Penix. On third and two, Atlanta went back to Allgeier, but he got stopped. Romo came on for the 33-yard field goal. 

10:03 p.m. — Since the Falcons chose to start with the ball, the Vikings get the ball after half and hope to sustain the momentum they ended the first half with. Jones picked up right on a run to the left, and then McCarthy missed Thielen deep on second down. On third and two, McCarthy tried to find Hockenson, but the ball was apparently picked off. Replay assist showed it was an incomplete pass, bringing up fourth down.

Second Quarter

FIELD GOAL — Falcons 9, Vikings 6

9:45 p.m. — With 18 seconds left, McCarthy is sacked on first down. After the sack it seemed like Minnesota would just go into halftime. Then, McCarthy found Jefferson for a 50-yard gain. After a timeout, Reichard nailed a 51-yard field goal to send the game into halftime. 

FIELD GOAL — Falcons 9, Vikings 3

9:39 p.m. — Robinson picked up three yards to start the drive and that brought up the two-minute warning. Penix missed London on second down, but the play was negated by offsetting penalties. Robinson then took a carry six yards to set up third and inches. Allgeier picked up another first down after a 10-yard gain.

Allgeier then brought in a four-yard pass to the left, and Penix was incomplete on second down. With 33 seconds left and facing third and six, Penix missed McCloud. This set up another field goal for Romo, who remained perfect on the night after the 33-yard field goal.

9:29 p.m. — Jones ran the ball up the middle for six yards. McCarthy then passed to Thielen for seven yards. The quarterback then tried to hit Nailor for a gain, but Atlanta picked the ball. 

9:24 p.m. — The Falcons’ drive started with Robinson picking up seven on the ground. He picked up two on his next carry, and then Allgeier came in and converted the first down with a four-yard gain. After play action, the Minnesota defense sacked Penix for a 10-yard loss. The quarterback then missed Ray-Ray McCloud across the middle to set up third and 20. He checked down to Robinson, who was short of a first down, but still picked up 15 yards. The Falcons were forced to punt. 

FIELD GOAL — Falcons 6, Vikings 3

9:15 p.m. — To start the quarter, the QB hit Mason for a two-yard gain and then scrambled for a short-gain. Facing third and six, he hits a leaping Nailor for a 12-yard gain. Mason ran it to the left for six yards. After a false start, Mason got another carry, this one for eight yards. Minnesota converted another third down, with Mason gaining another two yards. 

Atlanta sent a heavy blitz, and sacked McCarthy for an eight-yard loss. The Minnesota quarterback missed tight end T.J. Hockenson on second down to set up third and long. To the delight of the crowd, McCarthy hit veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen to convert the first down. McCarthy then hit Nailor for a 17-yard gain to set up first and goal from the two-yard line.

McCarthy fumbled the ball, but was able to recover. He missed Jefferson in the endzone, on what would have been a wild play. Minnesota then had a delay of the game, which moved them back to the seven-yard line. Atlanta sent pressure again, and McCarthy was sacked for the third time in the first half. 

On third and goal, McCarthy tried to scramble, but was sacked again for a one-yard loss. The Vikings went for a 33-yard field goal and Will Reichard nailed it for Minnesota’s first points. 

First Quarter

9:03 p.m. — McCarthy found Justin Jefferson for the first time in the game, for a nine-yard pickup. Backup running back Jordan Mason tried to get the first down, but got stuffed. On third and two, Mason ran for two yards and got the first down. This brought forth the end of the first quarter. 

8:58 p.m. — After the Minnesota three-and-out, Penix found running back Tyler Allgeier for a short gain, but the Vikings were flagged for illegal contact. Allgeier then got a carry and picked up four yards. On second and five, Allgeier got another carry and picked up six for a first down.

Penix found Pitts again, this time for a 13-yard pickup. The Falcons quarterback hit Drake London for a big gain, but when the wide receiver was fighting for more yards, a Vikings defender punched the ball out and forced a fumble. 

8:49 p.m. — On first down after the field goal, Jones picks up seven on the ground. The veteran running back got it on second down, and tried to cut back left, but couldn’t escape the tacklers and only gained a yard. McCarthy got sacked on third down for a nine yard loss.  

FIELD GOAL- Falcons 6, Vikings 0

8:44 p.m. — Stop me if you heard this before, but Robinson got another carry. This one to start the drive earned him six yards. Penix rolled out and turned before throwing a screen back to Robinson. It looked like he had a nice gain, but a quick replay showed the pass hit the ground. 

On third and short, Penix hit Pitts again, who picked up 14 yards and the first down. The Falcons quarterback then hit Robinson for a five-yard gain, but then missed him on second down. On third and five, Penix looks like he is going to scramble, fires to the endzone but can’t connect with Darnell Mooney. 

Romo comes on and nails the 29-yard field goal. 

8:37 p.m. — McCarthy completed his first pass, finding Jalen Nailor for a short gain. Veteran running back Aaron Jones took a toss to the right, but couldn’t gain any yards. McCarthy got pressured on third down and scrambled. He took a hit from a Falcons defender, but reaching for the first down came up just short. The Vikings went for a quarterback sneak on fourth and shit, and McCarthy got stuffed. The Falcons take over on the 36-yard line. 

FIELD GOAL — Falcons 3, Vikings 0

8:30 p.m. — The Falcons’ first play was a hand-off to star running back Bijan Robinson. He picked up an impressive 25 yards and followed it up with a 16-yard gain on the next play. Robinson got a third straight touch, but this one only went for five yards. He got the ball again on the next carry, but slipped trying to cut and gained only a yard.

On third and four, Atlanta called a timeout. They had a false start out of it, and then a short gain to Kyle Pitts. The Falcons lined up for it on fourth and one, but Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. couldn’t hear the call. They got a delay of game, and Romo got his first chance to kick. It looked like he may have missed it, but he snuck it in the left upright. 

Pre-Game

8:23 p.m. — Atlanta has won the kick and will receive the ball. 

8:20 p.m. — Falcons are going to be in all white jerseys, while the Vikings will be wearing purple tops with white pants.  

8:11 p.m. — J.J. McCarthy will be playing in his second career game. After leading a come-from-behind win in Week 1, he and his fiancée welcomed a baby boy, Rome Micah McCarthy, on Thursday. 

8:07 p.m. — One thing to watch in this game is the Falcons kicker. Veteran place kicker Younghoe Koo doinked a game-tying field goal and the Falcons lost to the Buccaneers. As a result, he didn’t travel with the team to Minnesota and has been benched. Former Vikings kicker Parker Romo will handle the kicking duties for Atlanta on Sunday night. 

7:58 p.m. — We are about 20 minutes from kickoff. Both teams have released their inactives for the game. 

Falcons

Vikings

Where to watch Falcons vs. Vikings

Falcons vs. Vikings start time

  • Date: Sunday, September 14
  • Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET

The Falcons and Vikings will be the featured ‘Sunday Night Football’ matchup for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. Kickoff from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. 

What channel is Falcons vs. Vikings on today?

  • Date: Sunday, September 14
  • TV: NBC
  • Live stream: Peacock, Fubo

‘Sunday Night Football’ will once again air nationally on NBC and be introduced by country music star Carrie Underwood and her iconic “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.”

‘Sunday Night Football’ between the Falcons and the Vikings will also air on Fubo and Peacock. Fubo carries NBC in its channel lineup, and is offering a free trial. 

Falcons schedule 2025

Week Date Opponent Kickoff Time (ET) TV
1 Sunday, Sept. 7 vs. Buccaneers – –
2 Sunday, Sept. 14 at Vikings 8:20 p.m. NBC
3 Sunday, Sept. 21 at Panthers 1 p.m. Fox
4 Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Commanders 1 p.m. CBS
5 BYE WEEK      
6 Monday, Oct. 13 vs. Bills 7:15 p.m. ESPN
7 Sunday, Oct. 19 at 49ers 8:20 p.m. NBC
8 Sunday, Oct. 26 vs. Dolphins 1 p.m. CBS
9 Sunday, Nov. 2 at Patriots 1 p.m. CBS
10 Sunday, Nov. 9 vs. Colts 9:30 a.m. NFL Network
11 Sunday, Nov. 16 vs. Panthers 1 p.m. Fox
12 Sunday, Nov. 23 at Saints 4:25 p.m. Fox
13 Sunday, Nov. 30 at Jets 1 p.m. Fox
14 Sunday, Dec. 7 vs. Seahawks 1 p.m. Fox
15 Thursday, Dec. 11 at Buccaneers 8:15 p.m. Amazon Prime Video
16 Sunday, Dec. 21 at Cardinals 4:05 p.m. Fox
17 Monday, Dec. 29 vs. Rams 8:15 p.m. ESPN
18 FLEX vs. Saints TBD TBD

Vikings schedule 2025

Week Date Opponent Kickoff Time (ET) TV
1 Monday, Sept. 8 at Bears — —
2 Sunday, Sept. 14 vs. Falcons 8:20 p.m. ET NBC
3 Sunday, Sept. 21 vs. Bengals 1 p.m. CBS
4 Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Steelers 9:30 a.m. NFL Network
5 Sunday, Oct. 5 vs. Browns 9:30 a.m. NFL Network
6 BYE WEEK — — —
7 Sunday, Oct. 19 vs. Eagles 1 p.m. Fox
8 Thursday, Oct. 23 at Chargers 8:15 p.m. Amazon Prime Video
9 Sunday, Nov. 2 at Lions 1 p.m. Fox
10 Sunday, Nov. 9 vs. Ravens 1 p.m. Fox
11 Sunday, Nov. 16 vs. Bears 1 p.m. Fox
12 Sunday, Nov. 23 at Packers 1 p.m. Fox
13 Sunday, Nov. 30 at Seahawks 4:05 p.m. Fox
14 Sunday, Dec. 7 vs. Commanders 1 p.m. Fox
15 Sunday, Dec. 14 at Cowboys 8:20 p.m. NBC
16 Sunday, Dec. 21 at Giants 1 p.m. Fox
17 Thursday, Dec. 25 vs. Lions 4:30 p.m. Netflix
18 TBD vs. Packers TBD TBD

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