Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Things have been pretty good for the purple in recent years
It’s time to take a look back at the history between the Minnesota Vikings and their opponent for this week of the 2019 NFL season. This is something we’ve done the past few years, and we’re going to continue it this season.
The history between the Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons goes back a bit, as the two teams first met in December of 1966. They’ve met 28 times over the years, with 26 of those games coming in the regular season and two in the postseason. We’re going to focus on the regular season history, because a) this is the regular season, and b) do we really want to talk about the Vikings’ postseason history with the Falcons?
No. . .no, we do not.
So, without any further ado, let’s go to our numbers, brought to you by the good folks at Pro Football Reference.
Total regular season games between the Falcons and the Vikings: 26
All-time record: Vikings, 17-9
Total Vikings points scored, head-to-head: 657 (25.26 points/game)
Total Falcons points scored, head-to-head: 461 (17.73 points/game)
Longest Vikings winning streak vs Falcons: 5 games (22 November 1987 to 12 September 1999)
Longest Falcons winning streak vs Vikings: 2 games (three times, most recently from 21 December 2008 to 27 November 2011)
Most recent Vikings home win in series: 28 September 2014 (final score 41-28, at TCF Bank Stadium)
Most recent Falcons road win in series: 21 December 2008 (final score 24-17, at the Metrodome)
Biggest Vikings home win in series: 40 points, 14 September 1968 (final score 47-7)
Biggest Falcons road win in series: 7 points, twice, most recently on 21 December 2008 (final score 24-17)
Current streak: Vikings, 3 wins
The Vikings and the Falcons have met 13 times in the regular season in the Twin Cities, and the Vikings have done very well, posting a mark of 10-3 in those games. The last time the Falcons won in Minnesota came back in December of 2008, when rookie Matt Ryan led his team into the Metrodome to take on the Vikings in a game matching two 9-5 teams. The two teams were tied, 7-7, after one quarter of play, but the Falcons eventually took a 24-7 lead into the fourth quarter. The Vikings put up 10 points in the final quarter and got the ball back for one final drive, but Tarvaris Jackson’s fourth down pass for Sidney Rice fell incomplete, and the Falcons held on for a 24-17 win.
The Falcons’ other two regular season wins in Minnesota came in 1966, the first game between these two teams, and 2002, which you may remember as the game with the Michael Vick run in overtime. You know the run I’m talking about.
The last time these two teams met in Minnesota was a pretty big occasion, as it marked the first NFL start for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in Week 4 of the 2014 season. The Falcons, who were so ravaged with offensive line injuries in this one that they spent much of the fourth quarter with tight end Levine Toilolo lining up at right tackle, trailed by 10 at halftime and by 13 early in the third quarter. The Falcons then put up two touchdowns to take a 28-27 lead going into the final quarter of play. However, behind Matt Asiata’s third touchdown of the afternoon and a pair of Blair Walsh field goals, the Vikings eventually managed to hold off the Falcons at home by a final score of 41-28. Bridgewater’s first NFL touchdown pass would have to wait, though he did find the end zone on the ground in this one.
The last time these two teams met came in 2017 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It was a low-scoring affair, as the score was just 7-6 in favor of the Vikings at the half, thanks to a 2-yard run by Georgia native Jerick McKinnon. Matt Bryant’s third field goal of the afternoon gave the Falcons a 9-7 lead going into the fourth quarter of action. Then, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Case Keenum found Kyle Rudolph for a 6-yard score, and the Vikings continued to keep the Falcons out of the end zone, holding on for a 14-9 victory.
That’s a brief look at the history between the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons, folks. Hopefully the Vikings can continue their mastery over the Falcons in their home state. . .in the regular season.
(Yes, yes, I know.)
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