With the Minnesota Vikings not playing until primetime on Sunday, many members of the fan base were paying attention to the matchup in the early window that had Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons taking on Mike Zimmer and the Dallas Cowboys.
In the end, it was the Falcons who came out on top with a 27-21 win over the Cowboys, and much of the result had to do with Cousins' performance against Zimmer's defense.
During the Atlanta victory, the former Vikings quarterback completed 79.2 percent of his passes for 222 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions to finish with a 144.8 passer rating. With the win, Cousins and the Falcons improved their record this season to 6-3, while Dallas saw its record drop to a disappointing 3-5.
When it comes to the post-Vikings careers of Cousins and Zimmer, each has certainly gone down extremely different paths this season.
The former Minnesota quarterback has been solid for an Atlanta team that remains in first place in the NFC South after Sunday's win, while the Cowboys defense has struggled during the 2024 campaign with the former Vikings head coach calling the shots.
To be fair to Zimmer, Dallas has been without pass rusher Micah Parsons in its last four games, who is arguably the team's best defensive player. Still, the Cowboys defense has taken a huge step back since former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left the team earlier this year to become the new head coach of the Washington Commanders.
As for Cousins and the Falcons, the franchise is off to a 6-3 start for the first time since the 2016 season, and their success this year is exactly why they signed the former Minnesota quarterback during the 2024 offseason.
Zimmer and Dallas will attempt to get things back on track next Sunday when they host the Philadelphia Eagles, while Cousins and Atlanta will look to extend their current winning streak to three games next weekend when they travel to take on the New Orleans Saints.
