3 Top Takeaways: Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions – Week 9

Vikings getting healthy at the right time

After nine games this season, Minnesota finally gets to have their bye next week and it couldn’t really come at a better time.

The Vikings have a few players that are currently dealing with minor injuries (Andrew Sendejo, Anthony Barr, Stefon Diggs) and they could definitely use the time off over the next week to recover.

Minnesota Vikings

With a tough stretch of games coming up after their bye (Chicago, Green Bay, New England, and Seattle), Minnesota needs their roster to be as healthy as possible in order to have a shot at getting some vital victories.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook could have waited until after the bye to return to the field from a hamstring injury, but he decided to suit up on Sunday against the Lions instead. In his first game since Week 4, Cook reminded everyone how dangerous of a weapon he can be for Minnesota’s offense as both a rusher and a receiver.

With him and guys like Diggs out on the field, the Vikings’ offense is capable of hanging in a contest with just about anyone in the league.

Health was a factor on the defensive side of the ball for Minnesota this week too. The Vikings defensive line had a number of pass rushers at their disposal on Sunday and it resulted in six different players finishing with half a sack or more.

With their bye next week and the roster already getting healthier, Minnesota is in good shape to compete with some of the NFL’s best teams for the rest of the season.