The Minnesota Vikings are riding a four-game winning streak, and Dalvin Cook will be a key to making it five straight when his team takes on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9.
Ever since Stefon Diggs made his frustrations known and Kirk Cousins got back on track, the Minnesota Vikings have looked like an unstoppable force. Not only do they rank third in the NFL in points per game allowed to reaffirm their defensive might, but they are also third in the league in yards per game on offense, which is partially a testament to Cousins’ improved play recently.
But it’s also a testament to the fine work Dalvin Cook is putting in at the running back position. Cook is an unsung MVP candidate, as much as any running back not named Christian McCaffrey can be a true MVP candidate.
Cook has emerged as one of the best three-down backs in the NFL, and it’s his work in the passing game that should worry the Kansas City Chiefs above everything else. Last week, the Chiefs put in a heroic shift against the heavily favored Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, as Matt Moore was able to move the ball effectively as part of a finely-orchestrated gameplan from head coach Andy Reid.
The problem is that the Chiefs were undone by their complete inability to cover the Packers running backs in the passing game. Aaron Jones was by far the Packers leading receiver, accounting for 159 of Aaron Rodgers’ 305 passing yards on just seven receptions. Green Bay’s starting running back found the end zone twice on passing touchdowns, while Rodgers’ third score of the night went to backup running back Jamaal Williams.
It was a disastrous performance from the Chiefs linebackers. Somewhere Derrick Johnson was forlornly looking off into the distance, wondering how the Chiefs could have lost to a team whose second leading receiver behind Jones was Jake Kumerow with 48 receiving yards.
The Chiefs will face much tougher assignments in the passing game against the Vikings, and they’ll also have to worry about Cook coming out of the backfield after their inability to quiet Jones in Week 9.
Cook currently boasts an 85.3% catch rate this season with over 10 yards per reception, making him an exceptionally efficient running back in the passing game. Those numbers should frighten a Chiefs defense that allows the second-most receiving yards and the most receiving touchdowns to running backs this season.
Beyond that, Cook is even more exceptional at doing what he’s actually paid to do: Run the football at the heart of opposing defenses. Cook is putting up some ridiculous numbers as a rusher, as he leads the league with 823 rushing yards and has a 5.3 yards per carry average. That is the type of efficiency that puts a player in the MVP conversation, even if others like McCaffrey have received more mainstream praise than Cook.
The former Florida State star also leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns, making it clear that he has been the best player at the position this season. Cook can easily make the difference against a Chiefs defense that has allowed the third-most rushing yards as well, meaning the Chiefs linebackers can get badly exposed by Cook in all phases of the game on Sunday.
Don’t be surprised if Cook has another game for the ages in Week 9, because the Kansas City defense presents a mouth-watering matchup for a running back who can help the Vikings finally make the leap to the Super Bowl in 2020.