Vikings-Falcons Week 14 score predictions from the Vikings On SI staff

The last time the Vikings and Falcons met, Jaren Hall and Taylor Heinicke were the starting quarterbacks for a game that wound up being won in improbable fashion by Josh Dobbs and Minnesota. This year's meeting will look quite a bit different.

Kirk Cousins makes his much-anticipated return to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday as the QB of a 6-6 Falcons team that still leads the NFC South by virtue of a tiebreaker with the Buccaneers. He'll be looking to bounce back from a four-interception performance against the Chargers last week and lead a road win over the team that employed him for the last six years. He'll be going against a 10-2 Vikings group that has the top-rated defense in the league, is getting big-time quarterback play from Sam Darnold, and is seeking a sixth consecutive win.

The Vikings are favored by 5.5 in this matchup against Atlanta. Will they get to 11-2 for the first time since 2009, or will Cousins spoil his old team's party? Our staff writers have made their predictions.

Will Ragatz: Vikings 27, Falcons 20

Cousins leads the NFL with 13 interceptions and is now going against the defense that has more INTs (18) than anyone else. He'll move the ball at times, but he'll also have some issues with Jonathan Greenard's pressure and Brian Flores' complex scheme. On the other side of the ball, the Falcons' defense hasn't been very good despite all the big names on the roster (A.J. Terrell, Jessie Bates, Justin Simmons, Grady Jarrett, Matthew Judon). Look for Sam Darnold's hot streak to continue as the Vikings find a way to win another one-score game at home.

Joe Nelson: Vikings 41, Falcons 21

Kirk has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league when pressured this season. He's an interception machine in Atlanta and he also leads the NFL in fumbles with 12. He's been lucky, only losing two of those dozen fumbles, but his luck is clearly running out and the Vikings are going to turn up the heat on him Sunday with a brazen pass rush. It'll be so loud inside U.S. Bank Stadium that he won't be able to hear himself groan after one of his four turnovers.

Jonathan Harrison: Vikings 30, Falcons 10

Kirk may be pretty good at bounce-back games, but trying to bounce back against one of the best defenses in the league might be too high of a hill to climb for a struggling Cousins. Darnold has seemingly turned things around since that disastrous Jacksonville game, and the Vikings will need him if they're going to keep pace with the Lions and open up space ahead of the Packers. I'm predicting a big day for Darnold and the passing game and a rough day for Kirk in his return to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Nolan O'Hara: Falcons 28, Vikings 23

On paper, it looks like the Vikings should run away with this one. They’re in the midst of a five-game winning streak, and the Atlanta Falcons have lost three straight. Kirk Cousins has struggled the last three games, including a four-interception performance last week. But something about all this feels unsettling for the Vikings. If coming off a four-interception game wasn’t enough to motivate Cousins, it coincides with his return to U.S. Bank Stadium. It just seems too fitting that Cousins would bounce back on Sunday and walk out of the stadium with his patented catch phrase: "You like that?" The answer will be a resounding no from the Vikings faithful.

Tony Liebert: Vikings 30, Falcons 21

The Vikings continue to find a way to win one-score games. This week they welcome Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota after he threw four interceptions last week against the Chargers. Atlanta has the personnel to come into U.S. Bank Stadium and leave with a win, but I think the emotions lend to the Vikings favor. Brian Flores will cook up another great defensive gameplan to slow down the Falcons offense and Minnesota comes out on top.

Here are last week's predictions. Season records for our pickers:

* Joe: 10-2
* Will: 9-3
* Nolan: 8-4
* Jonathan: 8-4
* Tony: 5-7

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