Vikings' Sam Darnold wrecks Falcons with 5 touchdowns, spoils Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota

Kirk Cousins may have been back at U.S. Bank Stadium, the place he called home with the Minnesota Vikings for six seasons, but his Atlanta Falcons were no match for his replacement at quarterback. 

Sam Darnold threw five touchdown passes and over 300 yards to thrash the Falcons, 42-21, to move the Vikings to 11-2 on the season. 

Darnold was 22-of-28 for 347 yards with his five scores, while Cousins, though he threw for 344 yards, had no touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Jefferson against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)

Cousins has been struggling with turnovers in recent weeks, as he had four interceptions last week in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and had one in each of the previous two games. 

But this game began with a master class from the Falcons, going 11 plays and 70 yards to see Tyler Allgeier score the game’s first touchdown. 

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However, a turnover-on-downs on the second Falcons drive ultimately flipped the momentum as Darnold’s first touchdown pass was a broken play to Jordan Addison, who scored three of those five touchdowns, as he caught a 49-yard bomb and walked into the end zone to tie the game after the extra point. 

A few drives later, Darnold zipped a pass to Justin Jefferson for a 12-yard score – his first since Week 7, which seems crazy to think about considering he’s the team’s top receiver. 

But Darnold wouldn’t just find Jefferson once. Yet another broken play came, this time in the second half, where he walked in as well from 52 yards out. 

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins throws a pass against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)

Addison led the game with 133 receiving yards on eight receptions, but Jefferson was right behind with 132 yards on seven catches.

The Vikings put the game away in the fourth quarter, as they outscored the Falcons 21-0, which included an Aaron Jones touchdown. Jones had 73 yards on 13 carries on the day. 

For the Falcons, Bijan Robinson was able to find the end zone as well as leading the game with 92 rushing yards on 22 carries. 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold looks to throw against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)

Darnell Mooney was Cousins’ top target with 142 yards on just six catches, while Ray-Ray McCloud had 98 yards on eight receptions. 

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.