Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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2 Highest highs
1. The Vikings season-high in rushing yards was 211, a mark the team hit twice. The first instance came in a Week 3 home win against the Raiders, with Cook leading the way with 110 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries.
Mattison added 58 yards on 12 carries, and punctuated his day with a hurdle over an Oakland defender for his first-career score.
Mike Boone ran for 28 yards, and Kirk Cousins chipped in with 16 as the Vikings averaged 5.6 yards per attempt on 38 total carries against the Raiders.
2. While tempted to include with the other 211-yard performance here (that came against the Giants in Week 5), we're actually going with a performance in a loss.
It was Week 2, where Cook posted a career-best 154 rushing yards at Lambeau Field against the Packers. No, the Vikings didn't win, but Cook set the stage for his monstrous season by ripping off a 75-yard touchdown run that caught everyone's attention.
He averaged nearly eight yards per carry on his 20 rushing attempts in a stellar performance that saw the Vikings rush for 198 yards as a team.
The Lowest low
1. In the days leading up to a Week 4 road game against the Bears, the Vikings talked over and over about how they wanted to establish the run and take the fight to Chicago.
That didn't happen, as Minnesota simply wasn't as physical as Chicago, with the Vikings running for just 40 yards on 16 carries, an average of just 2.5 yards per attempt.
Cook had 35 yards on 14 attempts with a long run of just nine yards, while Mattison had two attempts for 5 yards.
While the rushing performance was disappointing, the 16-6 loss to Chicago also set Minnesota back in the NFC North race as the Vikings eventually settled for a Wild Card spot.
"I like to have the ball in my hands because I think something special can happen."
— Cook after being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 10
"There were plenty of times this season where we didn't play up to the level we're capable of, and there were times that we did. We just have to make sure we work on that and be consistent."
— Mattison