The Week 2 Sunday Night Football matchup is an NFC showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings at 8:20 p.m. on NBC. Minnesota is in prime time for the second consecutive week to open the season as quarterback J.J. McCarthy makes his first start in front of the fans in Minneapolis. The Falcons will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking Week 1 loss at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and avoid falling two games back in the NFC South this early in the season.
Atlanta missed a golden opportunity to start the season as the only team in the division with a winning record. Instead, that honor went to the Buccaneers, and now, the Falcons are 0-1 along with the Saints and Panthers in the division. Michael Penix Jr. played well, passing for 298 yards and a touchdown through the air, then one on the ground.
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They failed on two late opportunities to either win the game or send it to overtime before losing 23-20. Drake London dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone, and kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard game-tying field-goal attempt with two seconds remaining in regulation. Koo struggled with attempts past 40 yards last year, and was not active for Sunday night’s game after the Falcons elevated Parker Romo from their practice squad to kick against the Vikings.
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Heading into Week 1 of the season last week, all eyes were on McCarthy to see how he would handle his NFL debut. After a shaky start, the Vikings’ 2024 first-round draft pick flipped the switch after a slow start, looking like a seasoned veteran in the fourth quarter. McCarthy scored three touchdowns in the final 15 minutes of his debut against Chicago, with two coming through the air and one on the ground. If that’s a sign of things to come, it could be a long evening for the Falcons on Sunday.
Vikings-Falcons inactives Week 2
Vikings inactives: OL Christian Darrisaw, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, CB Jeff Okudah, OL Joe Huber, LB Austin Keys, QB Max Brosmer, S Harrison Smith
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Falcons inactives: K Younghoe Koo, WR Jamal Agnew, CB Clark Phillips III, OL Jack Nelson, WR Casey Washington, DL Sam Roberts
Date: Sunday, Sept. 14
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium | Minneapolis
TV channel/live stream: NBC, Peacock
Reminder: You can stream every local and prime-time game on NFL+.
Vikings vs. Falcons live blog
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from Vikings-Falcons on Sunday Night Football: