The Vikings rushing defense still ranks fourth in the NFL, allowing just 3.9 yards per run, but they're trending in the wrong direction.

Linebacker Blake Cashman said he did not see quarterback Sam Darnold's 52-yard touchdown pass Sunday to receiver Justin Jefferson, because of how Falcons running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier were gashing them.

"I was very frustrated all day about how they were running the ball," Cashman said after his team's 42-21 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium, "so the entire time our offense was on the field I was on the Microsoft tablet, talking with the safeties, talking with the D-line."

Robinson and Allgeier combined for 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns, a week after Cardinals running backs gained 100 rushing yards on 23 carries. The Vikings have allowed 4.7 yards per handoff over the last two weeks without inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., who is on injured reserve because of a pulled hamstring.

"Very frustrating," Cashman said. "We had done a pretty good job of that the majority of the year.

"I got to give a lot of respect to those guys. I even went up to their offensive line after the game and said, 'You're the best, most complete unit we've played.' How they use their scheme and play style and combine that is phenomenal. They obviously have two very good running backs."

A rookie's 'really versatile' role

Undrafted rookie Gabe Murphy, the edge rusher out of UCLA, had a relatively big role in his NFL debut against the Falcons. Murphy made his first appearance since returning from injured reserve, where he had been since an August knee injury, and he played 28 snaps [38%] — slightly more than Vikings first-round rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner, who played 26 snaps.

Murphy is slightly shorter and stockier than Turner, and his versatility as an interior rusher was useful for a defense without Pat Jones II, a physical edge rusher who typically pairs with edge rusher Jihad Ward as the interior rush.

"You saw [Murphy] inside a little bit more," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. "He's really versatile. We've kind of framed his role in many ways after Andrew Van Ginkel's role, where you can see [Turner] is a little bit more in that Jonathan Greenard framework, but all those guys are so versatile."

"It was a performance I've been waiting for just because it's been a long road for Gabe coming off a really impactful training camp. I thought Dallas Turner was really active, and you felt the athleticism and the juice. I was really encouraged by both of those guys."

'KO' now 6-3 on challenges

The Vikings are 11-2, but O'Connell picked up his third loss of the season on Sunday. O'Connell had successfully thrown the red flag three straight times to overturn calls in games against the Bears, Titans, and Jaguars. But his first coach's challenge loss since October came when the Vikings challenged a 20-yard completion to Falcons receiver Drake London that Vikings cornerback Shaq Griffin also appeared to secure with both hands. Referee Alex Kemp upheld the ruling.

"The reason why I challenged it, I just saw only one hand from the receiver on the ball," said O'Connell, who is now 6-3 in coach's challenges this season. "It looked like Shaq secured it first. So, that looked to me like it was not going to be a tie-goes-to-the-receiver situation. It was a big play in the game.

"It was worth a challenge, and I thought we had enough information to at least make them have to take a real look at it. It was deemed to be a catch, and we moved on down the road. But I did not get an explanation."

O-line gets act together

The Vikings offensive line took turns surrendering pressure on Darnold, who was sacked four times by the middle of the third quarter. But right tackle Brian O'Neill said the line got better to end the game. After the Falcons sacked Darnold four times in 19 dropbacks, they failed to bring him down once in the last 15 dropbacks.

O'Neill surrendered a sack to Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie during the first half.

"It was really cool to see our offense as a whole put together that second half," O'Neill said. "We left a lot of stuff out there in the first half. … The pockets were a little cleaner for him."

Pro Bowl fan voting

After two weeks of voting, Vikings fans have made their voices heard. The Vikings currently have 11 players ranking in the top five among their positions in the NFC in fan votes, which account for one-third of the all-star balloting. Players and coaches vote at the end of the month.

Vikings players have received the fifth-most votes among all teams, trailing the Lions, Ravens, Chiefs, and Eagles.

Four Vikings players have received the most votes in the NFC at their positions: Jefferson, Van Ginkel, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and long snapper Andrew DePaola. Greenard, fullback C.J. Ham and special teamer Trent Sherfield rank second. Free safety Camryn Bynum ranks third. Darnold, strong safety Josh Metellus and center Garrett Bradbury rank fifth.