Vikings Fans Have Faith in Alexander Mattison Heading into 2023 Season
This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings parted ways with six-year running back Dalvin Cook.
As a result, it appears that Alexander Mattison is set to take over the starting role for the Vikings during the 2023 season, receiving help from fellow RBs Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, and DeWayne McBride.
However, a big question heading into Vikings training camp has been what exactly the RB room will look like this season. Will Mattison be a bell-cow back, similarly to Adrian Peterson and Cook before him, or will the Vikings use more of a committee this year?
To get some opinions from Vikings fans, we here at PurplePTSD posted a poll to our home page, prompting readers to vote whether or not they believe that Mattison will surpass 1000 rushing yards during the 2023 season.
It appears that a majority of Vikings fans have faith in Mattison heading into the new season. 57.5% of fans have voted that the new starting running back will break 1000 yards this season while 42.5% of fans do not.
Mattison has spent his entire four-year NFL career with the Vikings since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 Draft after a strong collegiate career at Boise State. With Cook’s injury history during his early career, it was a worthy investment.
During his rookie season, Mattison immediately was a strong RB2 producer for the Vikings, carrying 100 times for 462 yards and a touchdown. Then, 2020 saw him make his first career starts, replacing Cook in the lineup twice, and he put together 96 carries for 434 yards and a pair of TDs.
Overall, the running back has produced a total of 404 carries for 1670 rushing yards and 11 TDs. Five of those touchdowns came during the 2022 season where he was utilized much more in goal-line situations.
All that being said, the most underrated part of Mattison’s game may be as a receiver. He has great hands and is an elusive ball-carrier in space. He has accrued a total of 70 receptions for 526 yards and 3 TDs over his four years in the league.
Overall, there is reason to have hope for the Vikings running game this year. Whether it be Mattison breaking out as a true RB1, or Minnesota relying on their depth to help carry the load, hopefully we see much more of the ground attack during 2023.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
