Tag: Dalvin Cook

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook makes David Carr’s Pro Bowl team

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook has had himself a career year in 2019, and people are taking notice.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook has had himself a career year in 2019, and people are taking notice.

David Carr over at NFL.com put together his offensive Pro Bowl team, and Cook is on it. Of course, this is not the real Pro Bowl team and it really doesn’t mean anything, but here we are.

Here’s what Carr wrote about Cook:

Cook can do it all. He can run inside or outside the tackles, catch the ball out of the backfield in the screen game or line up on the perimeter. The third-year pro is a one-cut runner who hits full speed through the hole and has home-run ability from anywhere on the field. He’s in a system that showcases his versatility and provides him with bountiful opportunities — evidenced by his 1,611 scrimmage yards (second in the NFL) in 13 games.

There was no other Vikings offensive player to make Carr’s team, although you can make a real strong case for quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook ‘came out healthy’ vs. Lions

Cook played in Week 14 against the Lions, rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown to go with two catches for 13 yards.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook suffered an injury scare in Week 13, going down hard on his chest/shoulder on Monday Night Football against the Seahawks.

Cook played in Week 14 against the Lions, rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown to go with two catches for 13 yards.

Good news for the Vikings: Cook came out of the game healthy and seems ready for the final three-game stretch of the regular season.

“I’m good. I’m good to go,” Cook said via the Star Tribune. “It’s a physical game. They got some big guys over there in Detroit. I came out healthy — clean, so that’s a positive sign.”

This is huge for a Vikings team that needs some wins down the stretch to be sure of a playoff berth and possible NFC North championship.

The Vikings travel to Los Angeles in Week 15 to face off against the Chargers. The Chargers are allowing 108 rushing yards per game, a mark that ranks 17th in the NFL.

Six Points with David Dorey: Week 14

Six things to think about heading into Week 14.

(Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports)

The NFL playoffs are starting to come into focus and regardless of any protests, the NFC East will be allowed to advance a team. It’s money time right now in the NFL and in fantasy football. Here are a few thoughts on a Friday.

Jesper Horsted – The Bears are running through tight ends with Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen both on injured reserve, and Ben Braunecker out with a concussion. That gave both Horster and J.P. Holtz a chance to show what they could do. Holtz led the Bears with 56 yards on three catches while Horsted offered four receptions for 36 yards. Horsted caught one pass last week which was an 18-yard touchdown in Detroit. Holtz only had two career catches coming into last night. Both were undrafted players called up from the practice squad. Their success was more of a function of the Cowboys’ poor play worsened when LB Leighton Vander Esch missed the game. That could mean good things for the Rams this week.

Eli Manning – Daniel Jones is out with an ankle injury though some speculate that it is an attempt to allow Manning to have a Goodbye Tour. They probably owe him that. And Week 14 provides a chance to play the Eagles weak secondary that ranks No. 29 versus wideouts. Plus Golden Tate should be cleared from his concussion and Evan Engram is trending towards playing. He’d have a full complement of receivers which Jones has rarely had. If he can hang around until the end, that matches him against the Dolphins and Redskins. For a future HOF’er, that would be a nice way to end. Might even be worth a fantasy start.

Dalvin Cook – He’s had a tremendous third-year and finally remained healthy. Well, until recently. Cook injured his chest back in Week 11 against the Broncos and this was a re-aggravation. He says that he’ll play this week though it could still be painful and could become further aggravated. Fantasy playoffs are on in many leagues and seedings are being finalized in all others. But Cook is going to be risky despite playing against the No. 31 defense versus running backs. Cook already ran for 142 yards and two scores on them in Week 7. Alexander Mattison is too risky to start, but Cook could potentially leave the game early if he hurts or the Vikes have the game in hand. No matter what, Cook has to be healthy for Week 16 versus the Packers.

John Ross – He left after Week 4 with a broken clavicle but he’ll be activated this week and return to face the Browns. He’ll likely be on a pitch count and Week 15 faces the Patriots but at least Week 16 in Miami. Ross started the season with two 100-yard games and three touchdowns in the first two games including 112 yards and a score versus the 49ers in Week 2. He’ll be worth watching since the offense desperately needs help and he’ll dig into Auden Tate’s workload if not replace him again.

Kareem Hunt – Since he returned in Week 10, he’s been the No. 11 running back over the last four weeks. And he’s not even the starter. His role has been fairly consistent with around seven carries and five receptions per game and he averages about 60 total yards per game. His production hasn’t changed Nick Chubb’s workload at all, he’s just given Baker Mayfield an extra pass target. Hunt is a free agent at the end of the year, so this is all just to impress his next employer.

Best Wide Receivers over the last month – There is much movement with wide receivers as the season starts to close and this is worth knowing if only to see who maintains their value and who might have more value next year. These are the PPR fantasy points from Weeks 10 to Week 13.

D.J. Moore, Deebo Samuel, and even Cole Beasley stand out over the past month. It’s also interesting that while Odell Beckham hasn’t gotten on the same page with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry hasn’t had any problem.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer says Dalvin Cook’s injury not serious

On the season, Cook has run for 1,046 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook injured his right shoulder in the third quarter of Monday Night Football’s game against the Seahawks.

Cook did not return to the game and looked like he was in severe pain after.

However, after the game, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said that Cook’s injury wasn’t serious.

That’s good news for a player who had the feel-good story of he’s finally healthy going for him in 2019.

Just because the injury isn’t serious doesn’t mean Cook will be ready in Week 14 against the Lions, especially on a short week. If Cook can’t go, we’ll see rookie Alexander Mattison handle the majority of the touches.

On the season, Cook has run for 1,046 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns. However, in his last two weeks, he’s combined for just 55 yards and has averaged less than four yards per carry in four-straight games.

The Vikings’ first practice this week will be Wednesday.

Vikings’ comeback not enough vs. Seahawks in playoff-shaping game

Kirk Cousins kept the Vikings in it late, but the defense wasn’t able to stop Seattle at all.

This one wasn’t on Kirk Cousins.

The Vikings fell to the Seahawks 37-30 on Monday Night Football despite Cousins leading Minnesota back from a 34-17 defecit. The Vikings trailed 34-30 with less than three minutes left in the game, but a shorthanded Minnesota team ended up turning it over on downs.

The loss bumps the Vikings down to 8-4 on the season. That’s still good for the final wild card spot, but Minnesota fell a full game back from the Packers in the NFC North and the Vikings are now just a game up on the Rams for playoff spot.

What killed Minnesota in this game was its defense. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes continued to look completely lost and the Vikings allowed the Seahawks to run for more than 200 yards.

Cousins threw for 276 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He kept the Vikings in it when many fans were getting ready to go to bed. Cousins is now 0-8 on Monday Night Football, but this one especially can’t be pinned on him.

In news that could be really bad, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook suffered a shoulder injury while fumbling the ball in the third quarter. He did not return. We’ll get the severity of his injury likely on Tuesday.

Not a great night for the Vikings, but it also wasn’t totally unexpected.

They’ll have a chance to bounce back next week at home against the 3-8-1 Detroit Lions.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook suffers right shoulder injury vs. Seahawks

In the third quarter, running back Dalvin Cook injured his right shoulder on a play that he also fumbled on.

The Vikings may have just lost their most-important offensive player in Monday night’s game against the Seahawks.

In the third quarter, running back Dalvin Cook injured his right shoulder on a play that he also fumbled on.

While his return was officially listed as questionable, Cook looked like he was in immense pain and went straight to the locker room after the play. It would be a surprise if he returned to the game.

In his absence, we can expect to see rookie Alexander Mattison get plenty of carries.

We’ll update you on the status of Cook, who has his first 1,000-yard season in 2019, as the news comes along.

The Vikings are already without Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring). Tackle Riley Reiff (concussion) also left the game.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen ruled out against Seahawks on Monday

The Minnesota Vikings will face the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football without star receiver Adam Thielen, who has been ruled out.

The Seattle Seahawks secondary caught a break on Sunday, with the news that Minnesota Vikings star receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) will not play on Monday night.

Thielen has not played since Week 9 against the Chiefs, a game he left after just seven snaps.

Still, the speedy receiver has hauled in 27 receptions for 391 yards and six touchdowns in what has only really amounted to six games.

Most expected he’d return in time to face Seattle on Monday night, including Seahawks coach Pete Carroll – who said, “I’ll be really surprised if he doesn’t make it back for Monday night.”

“He’s a great player,” Carroll continued. “Makes the plays. Hard to cover. Can beat you on the one on ones. More than that, he makes big plays – really timely, clutch. He just comes through. If he’s on my team, I say you can’t replace that guy. He is what he is. They have Stefon Diggs. He’s a terrific football player and he’s really picked up the slack and all that, but it’s hard to replace those guys.”

The Vikings will rely heavily on Diggs as well as running back Dalvin Cook and a pair of strong tight ends in veteran Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith, Jr.

However, not getting Thielen back will only make things tougher for Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Minnesota offense, who is meeting a Seattle defense that has been red-hot these past few weeks.

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5 things to be thankful for if you’re a Vikings fan

The team has played very good football as of late, with a lot of things to look forward to heading into the holidays.

The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the holiday season with an 8-3 record and some tough tasks up ahead. Their next game, a Monday Night Football showdown against the Seattle Seahawks, seems to be the most difficult game left on the schedule. 

The Seahawks are ahead of the Vikings in the Wild Card race with a 9-2 record, and also control their own destiny within their respected division. The most impressive aspect to Seattle has been the MVP worthy play of quarterback Russell Wilson. 

Wilson is completing over 67 percent of his passes for 2,937 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also has a passer rating of 112.1, a stat that is second only to Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

The Vikings are in complete control of their own destiny, and they have a couple hard games left with Seattle and Green Bay. With a two-game lead in the Wild Card race, and a chance to win out and win the division, Vikings fans have plenty to be thankful for as the holidays are approaching. 

Here are five things Vikings fans should be thankful for heading into the holiday season. 

QB Kirk Cousins

The Vikings quarterback has been playing just as good as any in the NFL, but for some reason still has many doubters left. Lamar Jackson is the clear frontrunner for the MVP hardware, but that shouldn’t negate the fact that Cousins should be in the conversation. 

Cousins is completing 70.6 percent of his passes for 2,756 yards and 21 touchdowns. Those numbers are impressive alone, but he also leads the league with a passer rating of 114.8. 

The turnovers have still been somewhat of an issue because of his fumbles, but he has only thrown three interceptions (with one of those bouncing off the hands of Stefon Diggs). His touchdown to interception rate is 7:1, which is an elite statistic. 

For some reason, Cousins still gets treated like the plate of vegetables that gets passed around the table on Thanksgiving. Instead, he should be looked at like the pot of gravy that completes the meal. He is underrated, and without him the team isn’t quite there. 

RB Dalvin Cook

Without the resurgence of Dalvin Cook, the performance of Cousins wouldn’t be as good. Cook has opened up the play action game for the Vikings, showing how good Cousins can be outside of the pocket. 

Cook is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, with 1,017 yards on the ground and 11 touchdowns. Through 11 games of the season, those numbers put Cook on pace to finish the season with just under 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

Any running back would dream of having numbers on the ground similar to what Cook has done in 2019, but the stats don’t stop there. He has also caught the ball 45 times, and added an additional 455 yards. 

Cook is on pace to have over 2,000 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns. He has proven that he is the key to the offense, and if it wasn’t for the MVP award only considering quarterbacks, Cook’s name would also be in the conversation.  

LB Eric Kendricks

Eric Kendricks is on pace to have his best season yet as a Vikings. The always underrated linebacker is leading the team with a total of 86 tackles, but his name always comes up when discussing who has lead the team in tackles since he arrived in Minnesota. 

Being able to find the right gaps to hit and get to the running back is crucial as a linebacker. Kendricks has continued to dominate in that aspect of his game, but that isn’t the most impressive thing he has done this season. 

Not only has Kendricks already surpassed the previous mark of pass breakups by a linebacker, but he is also towards the top of the NFL regardless of position. With 12 total pass break ups, Kendricks is only behind Titans cornerback Logan Ryan who has 16, then a list of five players (that includes Stephon Gilmore and Jaire Alexander) who have 13.

Kendricks clearly made it a priority to get better in pass coverage in the offseason, and it has shown on game days. His pass breakup covering Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys may have shifted the entire 2019 season for the Vikings. It is time for Kendricks to get some national respect, and finally make a Pro Bowl.

The return of Adam Thielen

With the most crucial stretch of the schedule ahead, the Vikings are set to get their other star receiver back at the right time. Adam Thielen has been battling a hamstring injury for over a month, but he joins a team that has gone 3-0 in games he’s missed completely. 

The offense has exploded while Thielen has been sidelined, meaning the rich are going to get richer with his return. In his absence, Irv Smith Jr., Kyle Rudolph and Bisi Johnson have all stepped up and proven they can be reliable pass catchers for the team. Stefon Diggs has continued to show off his elite route running ability, and Cook has emerged as a top three running back in the NFL. 

Adding Thielen back into the mix is only going to make this offense better. With a quarterback playing at an MVP level, the addition of Thielen is going to make the offense much harder to defend. 

Gary Kubiak

The most underrated offseason move in all of 2019 free agency didn’t come from the signing of a star player. Instead, it came from the addition of Gary Kubiak to the Vikings offensive coaching staff. 

Without the addition of Kubiak, who knows where the Vikings offense would be. Kevin Stefanski showed flashes of being a great offensive mind in 2018, but it seems as if Kubiak has helped get Stefanski to the next level. 

Bringing the outside zone scheme with him to the Vikings, Kubiak has turned the run game into a top five unit in the NFL. The Vikings are averaging over 142 rushing yards per game, forcing defenses to key in on the run game. 

While making opposing defenses key in on Cook, Kubiak has opened up the play action pass game for Cousins. The Vikings quarterback has been the best in the league when utilizing play action. 

The addition of Kubiak isn’t something that gets talked about frequently, but he has played a crucial role in getting the Vikings to 8-3.

The Vikings are coming out of the bye in complete control of their own destiny. The team has played very good football as of late, with a lot of things to look forward to heading into the holidays.

Dalvin Cook remains 2nd in NFL.com RB rankings

Cook already has career highs in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards.

Even after being limited to just 26 rushing yards and 31 receiving yards in a Week 11 win over the Broncos, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook still ranks second in NFL.com’s running back rankings.

On the season, Cook has 1,017 yards for a league-leading 11 touchdowns to go with 45 catches for 455 yards.

That puts him on pace for 1,479 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns along with 65 catches for another 661 yards.

Cook will have a chance to add onto his impressive numbers in Week 13 against the Seahawks. The Vikings have a Week 12 bye. Seattle is allowing just 101 rushing yards per game, a mark that ranks 12th in the NFL.

The only running back ahead of Cook on the list is Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey has 1,059 rushing yards and 517 receiving yards.

Vikings S Harrison Smith hurts hamstring, doesn’t return vs. Broncos

In the second half, Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return.

The Vikings came away with a 27-23 comeback win over the Broncos on Sunday afternoon, but it came at the expense of one of their best players getting hurt.

In the second half, Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return.

We can’t really speculate how severe the injury is, but Vikings fans are plenty familiar with how hamstring injuries can linger. Examples: Dalvin Cook in 2018 and Adam Thielen in 2019.

The good news is that the Vikings have a Week 12 bye so Smith will have two weeks to rest before the team travels to take on the Seahawks in Week 13.

Smith went into the week graded as Pro Football Focus‘ ninth-ranked safety in the league.