{"id":97131,"date":"2020-11-01T18:48:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-01T23:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=97131"},"modified":"2020-11-01T18:48:34","modified_gmt":"2020-11-01T23:48:34","slug":"dalvin-cook-minnesota-vikings-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/11\/01\/dalvin-cook-minnesota-vikings-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Dalvin Cook Carries Minnesota Vikings to Week 8 Win"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Through six seasons with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/nfl-teams\/vikings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, <strong>Mike Zimmer<\/strong>\u2019s post-bye record was an unimpressive 2-4. After beating the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/nfl-teams\/packers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Green Bay Packers<\/a>, Zimmer now sits at 3-4, largely due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CookDa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Dalvin Cook<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s brilliance. Cook, to the delight of all his fantasy owners, had an amazing day: 163 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. Put simply, the Vikings won because of Cook\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<h2>Dalvin Cook Carries Minnesota Vikings<\/h2>\n<h4>The Opening Half<\/h4>\n<p>The first half was almost entirely consumed by four drives. Each team had two long, clock-killing possessions that led to touchdowns. Minnesota\u2019s defense had no answers for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/A\/AdamDa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Davante Adams<\/strong><\/a>. Green Bay\u2019s defense had no answers for Dalvin Cook. Green Bay got a third possession with 0:31 left in the second quarter. Thankfully, even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RodgAa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Aaron<\/strong> <strong>Rodgers<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 in all his splendor \u2013 couldn\u2019t turn his final drive into points.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rodgers \u27a1\ufe0f Adams: a Sunday tradition <br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gzgsWK5i5K\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/gzgsWK5i5K<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; PFF (@PFF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PFF\/status\/1322965251822936065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 1, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Minnesota\u2019s defense largely failed to contain Adams. Adams is among the best route-runners in the NFL, so there\u2019s no shame in struggling to stop him. What was concerning, though, was Minnesota\u2019s inability to even slow him down. We kept track of all of Adams\u2019 targets throughout the game, and it\u2019s ugly for the Vikings. We\u2019ve included the Viking responsible for covering Adams in brackets.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Target 1: Catch (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DantCa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Cameron Dantzler<\/strong><\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Target 2: Catch, TD (<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GladJe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeff Gladney<\/a><\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Target 3: Catch (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BoydKr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Kris Boyd<\/strong><\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Target 4: Incomplete (<strong>Mark Fields<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Target 5: Catch, TD (Gladney)<\/li>\n<li>HALF<\/li>\n<li>Target 6: Catch (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/K\/KendEr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Eric Kendricks<\/strong><\/a>\/Boyd)<\/li>\n<li>Target 7: Incomplete (Kendricks)<\/li>\n<li>Target 8: Catch (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HandHa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Harrison Hand<\/strong><\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Target 9: Incomplete (Gladney)<\/li>\n<li>Target 10: Catch, TD (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MeteJo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Josh Metellus<\/strong><\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Vikings, quite evidently, didn\u2019t have a player who could singlehandedly stop Adams. Seven catches on six different Vikings. Minnesota\u2019s best defense, then, rested in continuing to feed the ball to Cook. At the half, Cook had 74 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n<h4>The Second Half<\/h4>\n<p>The second half began with more Dalvin Cook brilliance. Cook opened with a 35-yard run, immediately putting the Vikings in advantageous position. A few minutes later, the Vikings took their first lead of the game on another Cook touchdown run. Shortly thereafter, Minnesota added to their lead. On third and nine midway through the third, Cook took a screen pass fifty yards for a sensational touchdown.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">EVERYONE STOP TALKING AND WATCH DALVIN SCORE HIS FOURTH TOUCHDOWN <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UfOv2x8r2n\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/UfOv2x8r2n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nick Olson (@NickOlsonNFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickOlsonNFL\/status\/1322991364355854337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 1, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>On defense, Minnesota found a way to slow Rodgers. Green Bay still found some room to move the ball, largely because of Adams\u2019 impact. Adams had a gravitational pull on Minnesota\u2019s secondary, opening plenty of room for his teammates.<\/p>\n<p>Even still, Zimmer\u2019s defense played considerably better. Green Bay had a shot to get back into the game toward the beginning of the fourth quarter. On a critical third and nine, Zimmer called a blitz that that saw Kendricks and Gladney hitting the same hole, forcing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WillJa06.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jamaal Williams<\/strong><\/a> to leave a blitzer free. The pressure forced an incompletion. On fourth and nine, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=HarrAn01,HarrAn20&amp;search=Anthony+Harris&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Harris<\/a><\/strong> locked down <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/T\/TonyRo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Tonyan<\/a><\/strong>, leading to a turnover on downs. Adams went on to secure a third touchdown pass with just under three minutes to play, and the Packers converted their two-point conversion. It was a six-point game, and Vikings fans were likely to have flashbacks to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/nfl-teams\/seahawks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Seattle Seahawks<\/a> game. The Packers got the ball back again with no timeouts and 0:47 left to play. With 12 seconds left, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WonnDJ00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>D.J. Wonnum<\/strong><\/a>, God bless him, secured a strip-sack on Rodgers to end the game.<\/p>\n<h3>Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n<p>If the Vikings got blown out on Sunday, <strong>Rick Spielman<\/strong> likely would have continued to press into <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/10\/27\/minnesota-vikings-begin-rebuild\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota\u2019s rebuild<\/a>. Instead, the Vikings will likely keep their core together as they prepare for the Detroit Lions in Week 9.<\/p>\n<p>In the opening six weeks of the season, Minnesota would have lost this game, as their one-point losses against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/nfl-teams\/titans\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Tennessee Titans<\/a> and then the Seahawks suggest. Cook simply didn\u2019t allow the Vikings to lose, though. Indeed, he accomplished something that no one has before in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GoesslingStrib\/status\/1323005802739912714\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lambeau Field history<\/a>: more than 200 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. In so doing, Dalvin Cook ensured the Minnesota Vikings secured an unlikely, remarkable win.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"dAfqzRmkRXN0lXg9wYZ7iA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1283388409\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'dAfqzRmkRXN0lXg9wYZ7iA',sig:'6f1k55zzI2W835L2171xchL64WUF8LwmE20__pr5ErE=',w:'594px',h:'424px',items:'1283388409',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With 163 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards, and four touchdowns, Dalvin Cook carried the Minnesota Vikings to their Week 8 win. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3613,"featured_media":97141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,26],"tags":[275,1586,1039,61,802,40,1581],"class_list":["post-97131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-vikings","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-dalvin-cook","tag-davante-adams","tag-football","tag-mike-zimmer","tag-nfl","tag-rick-spielman"],"modified_by":"John Bava","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3613"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}