Sunday Night Football: Falcons hold narrow 9-6 lead over Vikings at halftime

There was not much scoring to speak of between the Falcons and Vikings in the first 30 minutes of Sunday night’s matchup, but Atlanta holds a 9-6 lead over Minnesota at halftime.

The Falcons scored the first six points of the ballgame, netting a 38-yard field goal by Parker Romo to cap their opening drive. Then after the Vikings failed to convert on fourth-and-short in their own territory, the Falcons got a 29-yard field goal to grab a 6-0 advantage.

The Vikings once again struggled offensively in the first half of a game, but did make it all the way down to the 2-yard line after a turnover. But on second-and-goal from the 2, Minnesota took a delay of game to walk to football back 5 yards. McCarthy was sacked on second-and-goal from the 7 for a 7-yard loss. Then McCarthy was brought down on third down for another sack, leading Minnesota to settle for a 33-yard field goal.

Atlanta extended its lead late in the second quarter after J.J. McCarthy was intercepted by defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. Romo connected on a 33-yard field goal to give the Falcons a six-point advantage.

But the Vikings may have grabbed the proverbial momentum at the end of the first half when McCarthy fired a strike to Justin Jefferson for a 50-yard completion, setting up Will Reichard for a 51-yard field goal.

Jefferson’s first catch of the half was the 500th of his career — tying him with Larry Fitzgerald for the youngest receiver to ever reach that mark.

Minnesota center Ryan Kelly is being evaluated for a concussion. He exited the game during the second quarter. Jonathan Greenard also went down for a moment but was able to return after missing one play late in the second quarter.

For the Falcons, cornerback A.J. Terrell suffered an apparent hamstring injury at the end of the first half. Right after he went out, McCarthy hit Jefferson for the 50-yard gain.

Penix is 7-of-13 for 76 yards. Bijan Robinson has 72 yards on nine carries, with a long of 25. He’s also caught two passes for 20 yards while Kyle Pitts has three receptions for 34 yards.

McCarthy was 8-of-11 for 118 yards with a pick. Jefferson has two receptions for 59 yards.

The Vikings will receive the second-half kickoff with an opportunity to double up after the Falcons won the opening coin toss and elected to receive.