Minnesota Vikings MVPs: Week 16 vs. the Detroit Lions

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DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 23: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings looks to hand off the ball in the second half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 23, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mention – Offense

The offense looked horrendous early, struggling badly in the first quarter of the game until finally opening things up and getting going. The single-digit yardage total in the first 15 minutes didn’t hurt the team once they started running the ball and making some big plays through the air to loosen up the coverage.

Kirk Cousins, quarterback

It was hard to decide who the MVP was from this game on offense because there were some really strong performances from some players. Kirk Cousins was efficient on offense, throwing three touchdowns and not turning the ball over.

Completing 21 of his 28 passes for 253 yards, the Vikings quarterback hit some big throws as well, connecting with Kyle Rudolph on a 44-yard play and hitting Adam Thielen on a 40 yarder. The play action was working well on the day, and that showed with the success Cousins had.

Dalvin Cook, running back

Once again, Dalvin Cook looked great. He made multiple Lions defenders miss and ran hard through some small holes to once again establish the run on a team that struggled to do so through a majority of the season.

While he didn’t find the end zone, he did run the ball 16 times for 73 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt and rarely getting stopped for no gain. He also caught all three of the passes thrown his way for 35 yards, including one nice catch and run which picked up 20 yards.

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