MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota's defense threw it back to the 2000s en route to a double-digit defeat of the Falcons Sunday.

Byron Murphy, Jr., and Joshua Metellus each picked off former teammate Kirk Cousins and followed up the takeaway with a nod to dance-off scenes from the films Stomp the Yard and White Chicks, respectively.

Metellus made his move early in the second quarter with the game tied at 7-7.

Vikings outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel brought the blitz but was picked up by Bijan Robinson. Kirk Cousins pump-faked before throwing deep for Drake London, but Metellus didn't bite; instead, he came up with an easy interception.

"I knew they were going to try to take advantage of our aggression. I knew it was play-action, didn't fall for the run," Metellus said. "I got back, got in my spot, caused him to double clutch, you know, the rush – you've got guys like J.G. (Jonathan Greenard) and Gink' chasing after you, he got a little antsy back there, let the ball go right into my hands, and I was just happy I could make that play."

Vikings safety Camryn Bynum wasted no time getting down to the end zone and flowing directly into the pre-planned celebration with Metellus. The two recreated the White Chicks dance-off scene move for move, perfectly capturing the Wayans brothers' characters.

Metellus, who played "Brittany," said he and Bynum have been waiting to break the dance out and hadn't had much recent practice, so he was glad they executed.

"I think we landed the flip cleanly maybe one time when we practiced, but we knew when our adrenaline was rushing we were gonna be able to do it," Metellus laughed.

Bynum ("Tiffany") quipped that he found the moves easier in full pads.

"We were tired, they'd had a long drive … but having the adrenaline from the game, no way we're gonna mess it up," Bynum said. "We were both like, 'This is easy.' "

The interception certainly provided a boost for Minnesota, but the game continued to go back and forth through the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the teams had 21 points apiece.

Sam Darnold connected with Jordan Addison two minutes into the quarter for a go-ahead touchdown, and from there the Vikings were in the driver's seat. Following a successful PAT, Will Reichard kicked off to Ray-Ray McCloud III, who returned it from the goal line to the 31 but then had the ball punched out by Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II. C.J. Ham secured the pigskin in the frenzy for the football, and Metellus took another opportunity to have some fun, turning over on his side from the pile and posing for a photo.

"You know, that's why I play this game. I have fun playing with my brothers," he said. "I enjoy every single second of it. When we're making plays, [it allows us to] have even more fun. And when you can get the energy in the building that much higher, it just helps the team out."

Vikings fans certainly brought the juice Sunday afternoon – all 67,008 of them, the second-largest crowd for a Vikings game in U.S. Bank Stadium history.

The deafening roar may make things more difficult for Minnesota's defense, but it's a sacrifice the unit's willing to make when it flusters the opposing offense.

"I'm telling you, man, U.S. Bank Stadium is amazing. They're number one in the league, and I'm not being biased. It literally does something to you," Greenard said postgame. "When the offense is trying to communicate, and we do a lot of things on defense, trying to move around in disguise, so it makes it difficult for them. We just try to use that to our advantage."

Cousins had predicted earlier in the week that Vikings fans would make things difficult for his first time as a visitor after spending six seasons in Purple, and he reiterated that postgame.

"It's a great fan base, and I expected them to make it hostile, and they did a good job of it," he said.

Cousins made some nice throws downfield but overall couldn't find a rhythm, thanks to Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores' game plan and his players' execution of it. The QB finished 23-of-37 passing for 344 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions with a 70.1 passer rating. He was sacked just once, by recent Vikings addition Jamin Davis.

His second pick of the day occurred late in the game – under 7 minutes remaining and with Minnesota now leading 35-21. Atlanta drove down the field to the Vikings 25, and Cousins attempted to connect with Kyle Pitts but instead had the ball snagged by another former teammate.

Murphy reached out his right hand and effortlessly corralled the ball with a single mitt, never breaking his stride.

"That was my first-ever one-handed pick," he said, grinning.

"We gave an all-out blitz look, and I just knew Kirk has obviously seen that before, and I knew the ball was going to come out fast," Murphy explained. "When I seen the receiver stay vertical, I was like, 'OK, he might be running a 9 ball.' I overlapped it, and then obviously Kirk threw it. I was in the right moment, right timing to get the pick. It felt good to get one from Kirk."

Following the play, Murphy reenacted a scene from one of his favorite flicks.

"It's an Atlanta dance; Atlanta always snaps [fingers]," he explained, "but in the movie Stomp the Yard, they did a [dance] battle, and he does that. Then he made fun of the shaky hands, so I added that, too."

Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels earlier this season said "best hands" on the defense goes to Murphy, who now has six interceptions (a career high) on the season. Minnesota hasn't had a single player log that many in a season since Anthony Harris did so in 2019.

Murphy and Bynum both mentioned how often defensive players play "catch" throughout the day, whether before or after practice or in between plays during a walk-through session.

"As soon as we started playing that game, the picks started coming – especially for Murph'. It feels like he's been getting one every single week," Bynum said. "The fact he's making plays like that is just beautiful."

Greenard had the perfect vantage point of Murphy's interception after nearly hitting Cousins.

"It just laid in his hands so smooth and I'm like, 'Man,' " Greenard laughed. "I just ended up tapping Kirk on the shoulder and told him, 'Man.' … I'm just like, 'Hey, brother, we just made a play. I know it's tough.' I wasn't trying to talk trash."

The Vikings defense had some ups and downs throughout the afternoon, allowing Atlanta to convert seven of 13 third-down attempts and to rack up 158 rushing yards.

Robinson led the Falcons with 22 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown, while fellow running back Tyler Allgeier added nine attempts for 63 yards and another touchdown.

"His contact balance is amazing. One of the top backs," noted Greenard of Robinson, who multiple times picked up yards after contact. "We knew he was gonna be a tough one. And obviously they've got a two-headed monster with Allgeier back there, too. … We're well-aware of [Robinson] and understand that's how the offense flows for them. We just try to do a good job. They did get theirs, but we try to stop them."

In receiving, Darnell Mooney had a big outing with six catches for 142 yards; McCloud had eight catches for 98 yards, and London had five for 70.

Minnesota had just the single sack of Cousins but did record three additional tackles for loss and had eight passes defensed, two of them by defensive lineman Jalen Redmond. Rookie pass rusher Dallas Turner had a big hit on Cousins early in the game, and Shaq Griffin nearly added a third interception. The contested catch was called a completed pass on the field, despite London having just one hand on the ball to Griffin's two, and the call was upheld after a challenge by Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.

Though disappointed to not have the takeaway, Griffin was all smiles after a big win and picks by two of his teammates.

"They made a couple plays on me early on, so my thing was, 'I've got to get them back,' " he said. "I tried to get my hands on the ball, and it happened, but it didn't go my way, so instead of harping on that, I said, 'Maybe that's the universe saying, you know, gonna save that pick for another special moment.' And man, I'm really big on seeing other people win.

"I think I'm more happy for the young guys," Griffin said. "When I say these are my brothers, they're really my brothers — blood, sweat and tears [together]."

The Vikings Week 14 win improved them to 11-2 on the season, and they'll have an extra day to prepare for Monday Night Football against the Bears next week.

Will Murphy make another big play in front of Vikings fans? If you ask Greenard, he's practically expecting it at this point.

"That's why we've got [No.] 7 on our team, man. He's just continuously getting better and better," Greenard said. "Seeing his work and how those boys feed off each other, how they work every week, how we're all communicating, man, we're all excited."