Remember, Remember the Firsts of Dalvember
Dustin Baker
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Remember, Remember the Firsts of Dalvember
Late last week, the Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD family authored an article expressing the only pathway to victory for the Vikings involved an efficacious Dalvin Cook.
It happened.
Dalvin Cook emulated a 2018 LeBron James dragging a group of wayward Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. Dozens of other Vikings were good at Lambeau Field in Week 8, but Cook was masterful. From start to finish, Kirk Cousins tucked the ball into Cook’s hands and profits soared. The Packers had no answer for the hellbent 25-year-old. There were only four meaningful possessions in the first half of the contest, and both the Vikings and Packers playmakers were paramount on all four drives. Wideout Davante Adams was obscenely productive against the Vikings secondary early on while Cook clobbered Green Bay on the ground.
Even the maligned Vikings offensive line puts grins on the faces of Vikings enthusiasts. Rookie tackle-turned-guard Ezra Cleveland played like a grown man. When Cousins dropped back to throw, he had time to survey the field (for the most part),although he passed the football just 14 times. It was the second-fewest pass attempts of Cousins’ career (in a game that he started). Winds swirled in Green Bay disabling the Vikings from promoting a pass-first gameplan.
That worked out just fine for Mike Zimmer’s bunch. The Vikings hit 2-5 on the year for a win-loss record with Detroit, Chicago, and Dallas upcoming. Things will now get ratherinteresting. Cook will not abuse teams as he did Green Bay from here on out, but the season has a faint pulse.
And, it is all thanks to Dalvin Cook.
4 Touchdown Performance
Not Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Percy Harvin, Cris Carter, Percy Harvin, nor Robert Smith ever scored four touchdowns in a game as a Viking. That is precisely what Cook did versus Green Bay – the most hated rival – to start November.
The last Vikings player to score four touchdowns in a single game was Ahmad Rashad in 1979. Jimmy Carter was the president, Mike Zimmer was 23 years-old somewhere, and Rashad had not even dreamt of hosting a show like “NBA Inside Stuff” yet.
Cook became the 17th NFL player of the last decade to chip in four touchdowns during a game. Most recently, Steelers rookie Chase Claypool did so in a Week 5 triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles. Kenyan Drake, Tevin Coleman, Marvin Jones, and Aaron Jones all accomplished the same feat in 2019.
As it turned out, Minnesota needed every smidgen of Cook’s 24-point performance. Green Bay rallied late with a chance to win the game, but the last-ditch effort was stymied by rookie D.J. Wonnum’s strip-sack of Aaron Rodgers.
Most Yards from Scrimmage since AP
Adrian Peterson broke the single-game rushing record on November 4th, 2007. The rookie from the University of Oklahoma bludgeoned the San Diego Chargers for 315 yards from scrimmage in a win at the Metrodome.
Versus the Packers in Week 6, Cook registered 226 yards from scrimmage – the most since Peterson’s record-breaking day. If this game felt special to fans at home, this is the reason why. Several other Vikings players have had humongous days in the last 13 years, but by the yards tabulated and the touchdowns scored, this was the most prolific single performance since 2007. And, because Cook notched those four scores, this game is cemented as one of the greatest in Vikings franchise history. It’s just odd that the team was 1-5 entering the game, so perhaps the zeal surrounding the achievement was a wee bit subdued.
All in all, this was the type of game for Cook where a basketball player is sitting on about 48 points. Keep giving him the ball, encourage him to shoot, and watch 50, 60, or 70 points flood into the box score.
First GB/CHI Win in 7 Games
Most importantly, Minnesota finally nipped the Packers. The Vikings were embroiled in a nasty losing streak to the Packers and Bears. Zimmer’s group had lost six straight matchups to the Packers and Bears – a dreadful ordeal that undercuts one’s job security.
Thanks to four quarters of Dalvin Cook, the two-quarters worth of defensive pass rush, Eric Kendricks in general, and a wonderfully coached game by Zimmer, the Vikings have temporarily exorcised NFC North demons.
Wouldn’t you know it – the next two games are against division foes. Minnesota hosts the topsy-turvy Detroit Lions in Week 9 and the Bears the week thereafter. Two more naughty streaks loom. The Vikings have inexplicably lost five straight games at home, which is mind-boggling considering that the team’s habitual dominance at U.S. Bank Stadium. After that, Minnesota will attempt to solve a Bears-related quagmire. Chicago hastoppled Kirk Cousins and the Vikings four straight times.
Should Week 8 be perceived as a blueprint, the ball will be givento Dalvin Cook to stop the bloodletting of these two unfortunate streaks. Get ready for more Dalvember.