For the 2025 NFL season, digital team reporter Terrin Waack will provide select stats, facts and quotes from the most recent Atlanta Falcons game to consume with Miller Lite.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Atlanta Falcons beat the Minnesota Vikings, 22-6, Sunday in their Week 2 prime-time game at U.S. Bank Stadium in front of 66,859 ticketed fans.
STATS TO CHEERS OVER
-- Falcons running back Bijan Robinson finished with 143 yards rushing, his second-highest single-game total. His high remains the 170 yards rushing he had in the Falcons' Week 18 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers last season.
- Robinson had more rushing yards after contact on the Falcons' opening drive (29) than he had total in Week 1 (24), according to ESPN Research.
- Robinson's 292 yards from scrimmage are the fourth most through the first two games of a Falcons season and the most since wide receiver Andre Rison's 316 yards from scrimmage in 1994.
-- The Falcons' 218 yards rushing in Week 2 was 136 more than the 69 yards rushing they had in Week 1. That's the largest game-to-game improvement for Atlanta in a single season since Weeks 14-15 in 2016 when it went from 66 yards rushing to 248 yards rushing for a 182-yard increase.
-- All four of the Falcons' defensive rookie from their 2025 draft class had career firsts in Minnesota. Edge rusher Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. got their first sacks; it marked the first time two Falcons rookie recorded at least half a sack in the same game since 2006. Safety Xavier Watts and cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. got their first interceptions; it marked the first time two Falcons rookies recorded an interception in the same game since 2013.
-- Atlanta surrendered only six points to the Vikings in Minnesota, which tied for the second-fewest points allowed in a Falcons road opener. The fewest ever was in 1970, when the Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints, 14-3.
FACTS TO SIP ON
-- Falcons kicker Parker Romo's first full day as a Falcons member was last Wednesday. Sunday marked day No. 5 for him. That's exactly how many field goals he made in Minnesota.
- Romo surpassed veteran Younghoe Koo for the most field goals made in a Falcons kicker's debut. Koo made four in Atlanta's Week 10 win against the New Orleans Saints in 2019.
- Romo became the sixth player in NFL history to make five or more field goals in a debut with a team. The all-time most is seven by kicker Autin Seibert for the Washington Commanders in a 21-18 win against the New York Giants last year.
-- Robinson, as an individual, had just 30 fewer yards from scrimmage than the Vikings, as a team — 168 vs. 198. At the 3:22 mark in the fourth quarter, however, Robinson had 168 yards compared to the Vikings' 164 yards.
-- Seven of the eight defensive players responsible for either a sack or turnover are younger than 25 years old and were selected by the Falcons in the last three drafts. They are defensive lineman Zach Harrison (1.5 sacks, age 24), defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro (half sack, age 23), defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus (1.5 sacks, age 24), Walker (one sack, age 21), Pearce (half sack, age 21), Bowman (interception, age 22) and Watts (interception, age 23). The other player was edge rusher Leonard Floyd (one sack, age 33).
-- The last time the Falcons did not give up a touchdown on the road was Week 15 of the 2023 season in Carolina. The Panthers, however, won that game, 9-7. The last time the Vikings didn't score a touchdown at home was Week 11 of the 2022 season, when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 40-3. Last Sunday was only just the third time the Vikings did not reach the end zone in U.S. Bank Stadium since the venue opened in 2016.
QUOTING RAHEEM MORRIS
On the improvement in the run game from Weeks 1 to 2…
"I can't say enough about my guys, all my guys up front. They really came out. (Right guard Chris) Lindstrom right from the beginning – our leader – was at a lot of energy, played with a bunch of energy. He fired me up."
On whether sacks are contagious among defensive players…
"No, just a lot of pressure from Mr. (Arthur) Blank to get after the passer. Those guys really respond when he comes down. Those guys really respond when we bring those guys in. No, all joking aside, we brought those guys in to do that. I don't know if it's contagious, but it's fun."
QUOTING THE FALCONS
Running back Bijan Robinson
On how much the crowd noise affected the offense…
"It didn't affect us. I mean, I ain't gonna lie: Their crowd is awesome. They have a great crowd. They always make noise, especially at the beginning of the game. Like, that did affect us. We were trying to listen, and we couldn't get our protections in. But as the game started going on, we settled down, we breathed a little bit, and we had to get used to a crowd like that. When we did that, man, we were clicking."
Edge rusher Jalon Walker
On the inspiration behind his sack celebration…
"That's the 'Walk.' But yeah, shoutout to Conor McGregor for the inspiration. I've been doing that since I was at Georgia."
QUOTING THE OPPONENT
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell
On the Falcons' six sacks…
"There were definitely some times where guys got beat on some 1-on-1 situations. Got to go back and see exactly what kind of happened there. But you felt it, certainly in the first half there. … The sacks come from a lack of execution sometimes on that down, sometimes it's on a previous down."
GAME LEADERS
Top passers
- Vikings: J.J. McCarthy | 11-of-21 for 158 yards (intercepted twice, sacked six times)
- Falcons: Michael Penix Jr. | 13-of-21 for 135 yards (sacked three times)
Top rushers
- Falcons: Bijan Robinson | 22 carries for 143 yards
- Falcons: Tyler Allgeier | 16 carries for 76 yards, 1 touchdown
- Vikings: Jordan Mason | 9 carries for 30 yards
Top receivers
- Vikings: Justin Jefferson | 3 receptions for 81 yards
- Falcons: Drake London | 3 receptions for 49 yards
- Falcons: Kyle Pitts Sr. | 4 receptions for 37 yards
Top tacklers
- Vikings: Theo Jackson | 9 total tackles, 5 solo (1 fumble recovery)
- Vikings: Ivan Pace Jr. | 8 total tackles, 6 solo
- Vikings: Byron Murphy Jr. | 7 total tackles, 5 solo
LAST CALL
The Falcons (1-1) are back on the road in Week 3 to play the Panthers (0-2) at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. FOX will carry live coverage.
This will be the Falcons' second NFC South game but the Panthers' first. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently lead the division.
The Panthers lost, 27-22, to the Arizona Cardinals in their own Week 2 road contest.
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium during Week 2, presented by Grady.
