Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Cronin: Cook’s absence hindered Vikings offense
The Vikings offense was missing perhaps its biggest piece Monday night, as Dalvin Cook was on the sideline with a shoulder injury.
The absence of the Pro Bowl running back — who has rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019 — was felt all over.
Backup Alexander Mattison also missed the game with an ankle injury. His 462 rushing yards were also missing from the equation.
ESPN Vikings writer Courtney Cronin said the Vikings offense looked out of sorts without the duo that has combined for 1,597 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
Cronin wrote that without the threat of two viable running backs, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and the offense couldn’t get into its normal flow.
It’s possible that the Vikings were saving their big, explosive plays by way of play-action for the playoffs, should they see the Packers again, but the fact that Cousins attempted just one play- action pass in the first half and finished 2-of-5 for 14 yards and an interception on such throws was jarring.
While teams don’t necessarily need to establish the run to set up an effective play-action attack, the Vikings didn’t even attempt to dial it up against the Packers. The reasoning for that could be the fact that without Cook, it’s hard to sell the threat of the run. The other thing to keep in mind was how good the Packers were at sniffing out bootlegs during their Week 2 meeting with the Vikings. Minnesota quickly became one-dimensional, and did it to itself.
The combination of Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah managed 55 yards on 15 attempts.
Minnesota’s offense struggled for the majority of Monday night, as the unit tallied a season-low 139 yards on 53 plays, averaging just 2.6 yards per play against the Packers.
Cronin wrote:
Minnesota has never missed Cook more than it did on Monday and may appreciate him even more after realizing what its offense looks like when he’s not there.