The Athletic's Mike Jones celebrated the 2024 NFL Schedule Release by releasing superlatives for this year's games, including best and worst prime-time matchups and the craziest stretch of games. One of the categories in the piece was "Best Revenge Game," and there were plenty of worthy candidates, including Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota in week 14. Others receiving recognition were the Chiefs at 49ers in week seven, for obvious reasons, and Russell Wilson's return to Denver in week two.
On the surface, this should be as bitter a revenge game as one would get. The older, veteran quarterback, coming off a major injury who still believes he has juice left in the tank against the team who decided that they couldn't bet on him any further, and the team who was willing to make that bet...sort of.
To add to the potential drama, with the game so far down the line, the Vikings may be already starting Cousins' heir apparent, J.J. McCarthy.
Talk about a storyline: The spurned veteran against the young, hotshot gunslinger. Unfortunately, this game won't be in prime time. It will be a regular 1 p.m. EST kickoff, but it could be one of the more compelling stories of the weekend, especially with the possible playoff implications for Atlanta.
Movie scripts aside, Cousins' return to Minnesota will be a perfect moment for the soon-to-be-36-year-old. He spent six years in Minnesota and won several games as a Viking. He brought stability and leadership to the position that the players in that Minnesota locker room gravitated to, the same traits that have made him an instant hit with the players in Atlanta. On Sunday, December 8th, Cousins can prove to those who doubted his mettle in Minnesota that he's still got it. Cousins can prove that he still has what it takes to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.