The Good and Not-So-Good From The 2021 Minnesota Vikings Running Backs

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Nov 21, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) and offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

It was a disappointing season running the football for the 2021 Minnesota Vikings. Despite being a team that wanted to establish the running game each week, the Vikings’ running attack ranked 17th in the NFL. As evidenced by the ranking, some weeks the rushing attack was rolling. Other weeks, it was ineffective.

Star running back Dalvin Cook failed to score double-digit touchdowns for the first time since 2018. He missed four games as well, and the results from backup Alexander Mattison were, as you could probably guess, mixed. Looking back, the running backs, like the rest of the 2021 season, were a rollercoaster.

What Went Right

Cook still had some of his signature games in 2021. Against Arizona, he gashed the Cardinals defense with 22 carries for 131 yards. Most impressive was that his longest run was only 16 yards in this game, so these were consistent chunks of yards. He rushed for 140 yards against the Panthers a few weeks later in an overtime victory. And in the Thursday night matchup against the Steelers, Cook set a career-high with 205 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

Mattison had an inconsistent season, but found most of his success when entering the week as a starter. Against Seattle and Detroit early in the season, Mattison broke 100 yards on the ground. Later in the year, he ran for 90 yards in the last-second loss to the Lions. Mattison also set a career-high in receiving yards, catching 32 passes for 228 yards.

Stud fullback C.J. Ham had another solid season in 2021. Pro Football Focus credited him with a 65.6 pass blocking grade, third on the team among qualifiers. His 62.1 run block grade is a little further down the list, but those that watched saw Ham’s impact. He even got involved in the passing game (sometimes a little too much), catching 17 passes for 125 yards.

What Went Wrong

2021 won’t be remembered as a career-year for Dalvin Cook. In Week 1, with the Vikings knocking on the doorstep of an overtime victory against the Bengals, Cook fumbled the ball at the Cincinnati 38-yard line. An ankle injury suffered in Arizona a week later lingered for much of the season. And in San Fransisco, Cook dislocated his shoulder, missing the following game in Detroit. In 13 starts on the season, Cook only broke the 100-yard rushing mark four times.

Mattison had his own fumble in a key spot that almost lost a game. Up 16-9 with under two minutes remaining, Mattison fumbled on the Minnesota 20-yard line, and the Lions jumped on the ball. They would score and take the lead three plays later. Thanks to a last-second field goal by Greg Joseph, the Vikings were spared of losing to the winless Lions (for the time being).

When it came to spelling Cook during games, Minnesota was largely ineffective. Mattison never eclipsed 27 yards rushing in games that Cook started. In these games, he only averaged four or more yards per carry twice. Rookie Kene Nwangwu was used mostly on special teams and didn’t see many offensive snaps.



What To Expect Moving Forward

Dalvin Cook won’t be going anywhere soon, and with an off-season to get healthy, he should be able to exceed his 1,159 ground yards and six rushing touchdowns in 2022. Alexander Mattison and Nwangwu will likely be fighting for snaps. Nwangwu showed off his explosiveness in the return game, and if he can harness that into his game as a running back, it will be hard to justify keeping him on the bench as much as he was in 2021.

The one big question in the running back room for 2022 is the future of C.J. Ham in Minnesota. With fewer teams using a traditional fullback, a new coaching staff may opt to move on from Ham to no fault of his own. It may not be a popular decision to move on from him, but it would signal a more progressive offensive approach moving forward.

No matter who comes in to take over as head coach, the Vikings have a versatile running back room that any staff can utilize. There is talent that has already been untapped, but there is still a lot of potential still left to be realized.

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