Five extra points: Stealing Joshua Dobbs, defensive gets worn down and a stinker of a punt

1. Congratulations, Kwesi!

Joshua Dobbs was pressured 16 times. He lost two strip-sack fumbles and was dropped for a safety on three of his first four pressures. Then all he did was prove he's the ideal off-script quarterback who can win sloppily and sneak the Vikings into the playoffs. The last 12 times he was pressured, Dobbs completed five of seven passes for 40 yards and two first downs; ran four times for 61 yards, two first downs, an 18-yard touchdown and a 22-yarder on fourth-and-7 on the game-winning drive, and completed a two-point conversion pass to Trishton Jackson. Congrats, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. A sixth-rounder for this guy is a steal.

2. B-Flo beats Heinicke

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores bucked his tendencies and played more men in coverage against Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke was pressured only 10 times, completing one of seven passes for 9 yards and no first downs while suffering his only sack of the day and running twice for 19 yards and just one first down. Heinicke's 60-yard touchdown off a tight end screen came against an ineffective blitz. B-Flo's best-timed blitz forced an incompletion on third-and-8 from the Vikings 45 early in the fourth quarter. Three plays earlier, Flores had shown that same all-out blitz look pre-snap but rushed only three as Heinicke threw a 27-yard completion.

3. Running game must improve

The Vikings had 10 called runs in the first half. They lost yardage on four of them, gained no yards on three and had fewer than 2 yards on all but one 6-yarder. Alexander Mattison had six first-half carries for minus-2 yards, a long of 1 and a carry for minus-3 on first-and-goal from the 1, which led to a field goal. Cam Akers had five carries for 3 yards, including a first-down run for minus-2 yards from the Vikings 7 that came two snaps before Dobbs' safety. Winning with starts like this from the designed-run calls is unsustainable. Two-cent advice, Kevin O'Connell: Use your fullback, C.J. Ham.

4. Too conservative, KOC?

It's darn near impossible to nitpick O'Connell. Winning on the road with a backup quarterback who arrived Tuesday and didn't take a first-team rep all week is a huge NFL coach of the year feather in KOC's cap. But … these eyes didn't like giving up on third-and-14 from the Falcons 17 and settling for a field goal and a 24-21 lead with 14:18 left. Running Mattison up the middle was too conservative. The Vikings defense was playing great — holding the Falcons to a pair of field goals off turnovers at the Vikings 1 and 30 — but it was growing tired and proved unable to protect the three-point lead.

5. Wrong time, Mr. Wright

Punter is a critical position in the way the Kirk Cousins-less Vikings are structured. Ryan Wright's first two punts — a pair of 52-yarders with no returns — were outstanding. His last one was an ill-timed stinker: a 29-yarder from the 50 to the Atlanta 21. Down three with 9:06 left and well out of the shadow of their end zone, the Falcons opened with a 14-yard pass and followed with 12 consecutive runs for 65 yards, a touchdown and a 28-24 lead. The Vikings defense was gassed. What it needed — deserved — was the talented Wright dropping the ball inside the 5-yard line, not outside the 20.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.