Though he opted not to exchange pleasantries with his former teammates before the game, Kirk Cousins made time for all of that after his Atlanta Falcons walked away with a 42-21 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.

Maybe the most notable embrace on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium was between Cousins and former head coach Kevin O’Connell. They let each other know how grateful they were for the time spent together and went their separate ways.

What was he thinking in those moments?

“Just the gratitude for the time I spent here and the people I got to work with,” Cousins said. “I’m grateful for the impact they’ve had on me.”

As he walked toward the tunnel, Cousins got a pretty big cheer from the fans who stuck around. It was a complete shift from when he was showered with boos as he led his teammates out of the tunnel before the opening kickoff

Not that Cousins expected anything less from a fan base he knows better than most.

“I expected them to make it hostile,” Cousins aid. “They did a good job of that.”

The performance from Cousins was hard to sum up when looking at the box score. Though he completed 23 of 37 passes for 344 yards in total, he did not do nearly enough as the Falcons were run off the field down the stretch.

“We left plays out there and made mistakes at times,” Cousins said. “I could certainly point to some different moments that were important that we didn’t capitalize.”

As harmful as the pair of interceptions were from Cousins were, he pointed to the fact that the Falcons left some points on the table a couple of times by not finding end zone.

“It’s about finishing drives with touchdowns instead of field goals,” he said. “The game is always about points.”

On the other side, Sam Darnold completed 22 of 28 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Vikings to an important win they needed to keep pace with the Detroit Lions in the NFC North.

Asked if he compared himself to Darnold, who replaced him on a one-year contract, Cousins refused to take the bait.

“He did a great job today,” he said. “I’m happy for him and the way he’s playing.”

Murphy gets another pick

It’s becoming old hat for Byron Murphy at this point. Not that he’ll ever complain about getting his hands on the ball.

With the Vikings leading the Falcons down the stretch, Murphy made an incredible catch to intercept Cousins near the goal line. That gives Murphy a half dozen interceptions this season as he continues to prove he’s a true ballhawk.

“It felt good,” Murphy said. “I played with Kirk for a little bit. He’s a great quarterback. To go out there and pick him off was a blessing.”

Asamoah makes a play

After emerging as an ace on special teams this season, Brian Asamoah made a huge play for the Vikings against Falcons, jarring a ball loose on a kickoff down the stretch. The forced fumble was recovered by C.J. Ham.

“He was able to go and make a play on the ball and I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Ham said. “It was definitely a big spark for our team.”

Though he hasn’t necessarily carved out a niche for himself on defense, Asamoah is proving that he can still find a way to make his presence felt.

“He continues to show up on special teams,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He’s really thriving in that role. We’ve got a lot of guys in the kicking game phase that can affect the game in a really positive way like he did. Just proud of him.”

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