4 bold predictions for the Vikings preseason matchup vs. the Seahawks

Dalvin Cook will not get a single touch

There’s been a ton of excitement revolving around the return of Dalvin Cook. For the first two preseason games, the Vikings have caged up their young running back to not put too much on his surgically repaired knee and frankly, some of us are getting restless.

On Thursday, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that Cook is expected to suit up for Friday’s preseason game against the Seahawks. The running back will be hyped and fans hyped to see him. It’s the preseason dress rehearsal so Minnesota should turn him loose, right?

Wrong. Even though head coach Mike Zimmer said that the Vikings were,”not going to play a game scared,” in regards to Cook’s potential preseason debut, the team isn’t about to take a chance on him running up the gut and getting banged up in a meaningless exhibition game.

With several preseason injuries already taking place (and six coming last week), it would be hard to blame the Vikings if they would rather save Cook for their first regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers in two weeks.

Outside of not wanting him to get hurt, Cook is going to be running behind an offensive line that will be without several starters again. Plus, the third running back battle is continuing to heat up after Roc Thomas and Mike Boone alternated tremendous games and the coaching staff may want to give them more opportunities to plead their cases.

Cook’s situation is similar to Adrian Peterson’s back in 2012. Although Peterson had an established track record as a starter, he didn’t play the entire preseason. Instead, he went through a major workout during pregame to keep him ready for Week 1. If Cook is already 100 percent like the Vikings claim, it makes sense to wait until the games count to turn him loose.

– Chris Schad