Inside U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, much of the focus will be on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins returning to the Twin Cities to take on the Minnesota Vikings for the first time since parting with the franchise earlier this year.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone since the quarterbacks always get the majority of the attention in the NFL, and Cousins also spent six seasons with the Vikings. But he won't be the only former Minnesota player facing his former team this weekend.
Former Vikings first-round pick Mike Hughes will also be attempting to help the Falcons get a win on Sunday when they face Minnesota inside a stadium that the current Atlanta cornerback used to call home.
Hughes's career with the Vikings appeared to be heading down a great path during his first few games with the team as a rookie in 2018, especially when he snagged a pick-six in Minnesota's Week 1 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
But that excitement about the young corner quickly disappeared after he went down with a torn ACL in his sixth appearance with the Vikings.
Hughes was able to recover in time to play for Minnesota in 2019, but he was never able to meet the expectations that came with being a first-round draft pick, and as a result, the Vikings ended up trading him to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 offseason.
During his tenure with the Falcons, Hughes has appeared in a total of 25 games, including 14 starts. He had arguably the best season of his career with Atlanta in 2023 when opposing quarterbacks only had a 52.6 completion percentage and an 86.3 passer rating when throwing in his direction.
This year, Hughes has started 10 games for the Falcons, and his performance has taken a slight dip. Recently, he has been out of action for the last few weeks because of a neck injury, but he seems to be on track to play this weekend in Minnesota.
Will he and Cousins get some revenge against the Vikings on Sunday, or will Minnesota spoil their return to U.S. Bank Stadium by sending them back home with a loss.?
