Scoggins: 'Disappointing day,' Kirk Cousins called it, but that certainly depends on your point of view

First, he was booed. Then he was trolled. The only way Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota could have gone any worse is if the friendly neighbor who used to snow blow his driveway stopped taking his calls.

Sometimes homecomings provide magical moments that invite warm emotion and nostalgia. Cousins had a bucket of cold water dumped over his head.

His tone and body language afterward gave the appearance that he had just guzzled a glass of rotten milk.

"Disappointing day," he said.

The enduring image of his personal nightmare came late in the fourth quarter, when the Vikings' runaway 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons was nearly complete.

The gigantic scoreboard at U.S. Bank Stadium flashed Sam Darnold's passing stats while Cousins was on the field racking up meaningless yards in garbage time as Vikings fans roared with delight.

It was a twofer celebratory ovation.

Their guy was fantastic. And their previous guy wasn't.

The cold, hard truth is that the Vikings have the better quarterback for a fraction of the cost. The organization made the right call to move on from Cousins after six seasons and is being rewarded with Darnold's career reclamation.

Darnold passed for only 3 more yards than Cousins in the game (347 to 344), but nothing else between them was close.

Darnold's passer rating: 157.9.

Cousins' passer rating: 70.1.

Darnold passed for five touchdowns and no interceptions. Cousins threw two interceptions and no touchdowns.

"In pro football, you get tested," Cousins said. "We're there right now."

Any curiosity about whether Vikings fans would boo or cheer Cousins got cleared up when he was shown on the video board pregame and again when he took the field for the first possession. It was not a split decision.

"It's a great fan base, and I expected them to make it hostile," Cousins said diplomatically.

He looked unaffected by the hostility on the opening series, completing four of five passes for 53 yards on a drive that ended with a touchdown.

That was basically the highlight.

He made a terrible throw that went right to Vikings safety Josh Metellus in the second quarter. He overthrew his target near the goal line on the second interception — a one-handed grab by Byron Murphy Jr. — with the Falcons trailing by two touchdowns.

Cousins was hardly the sole reason for the blowout. The Falcons had 12 penalties for 127 yards, and their defensive backs tripped over themselves while fruitlessly trying to cover Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

But Cousins is being highly compensated to deliver more than he's providing, which includes eight interceptions with zero touchdown passes in a four-game losing streak.

"I would love to be playing with a lot more production," he said.

His struggles have prompted calls for a quarterback change, and Falcons coach Raheem Morris faced questions again Sunday about whether he's considering a move to rookie Michael Penix Jr.

"Kirk Cousins is our quarterback," Morris said.

Morris noted that Cousins played "significantly better" than he did a week ago against the Los Angeles Chargers when he threw four interceptions. Cousins offered gallows humor to that appraisal.

"Last week was a low bar," he said, managing to chuckle.

His performance was familiar in that he made some nice throws but also looked robotic and stationary in the pocket when pressured. A handful of his passes got tipped at the line.

"We did not support him enough around him," Morris said.

On the opposite sideline, Darnold continues to thrive inside an environment that is the equivalent of a quarterback's dream. "M-V-P" chants echoed across the stadium as Darnold delivered deep-shot daggers and then showed a rare burst of emotion by waving a towel to fire up the crowd.

Cousins greeted Darnold on the field after the game, then chatted with coach Kevin O'Connell, followed by a stream of former teammates who stopped for a quick hug.

"Just gratitude for the six years I got to spend here and the people I got to work with," Cousins said of his emotions on being back in Minnesota. "I'm just grateful for the impact they've had on me."

His homecoming turned out to be a secondary item obscured by a party taking place. The new quarterback put on a performance that stole the show and is only getting better.