3 matchups the Vikings should worry about in Week 3 vs. the Raiders

Dalvin Cook vs. Raiders run defense

Through the first two weeks of the season, the Vikings have been able to lean on Dalvin Cook as the centerpiece to their offense. With the first two games in the books, Cook currently leads the NFL in rushing yards with 263 and rushing touchdowns with three. With stats like those, it’s possible that Cook could be on his way to a monster season.

However, there will be weeks where the Minnesota Vikings might not be able to run the ball as efficiently. With the Raiders coming to town, it’s quite possible that this could be one of those weeks.

Entering Sunday’s matchup, the Raiders currently rank fifth in the league in rushing defense (126 yards allowed) and fourth in yards per rush allowed (2.8). At the centerpiece of their run defense has been Johnathan Hankins, who was a mid-season desperation pickup last year, but has been revived in the Black Hole with a 17.6 percent run stop rate (fifth in NFL among defensive tackles) according to Pro Football Focus’ run stop percentage metric.

Defensive ends Josh Mauro (eighth among DEs at 14.3 percent) and Maxx Crosby (10.5 percent) have also pitched in to create an Oakland defense that is surprisingly stout in the trenches. If the Raiders can stop the Vikings up front, that will mean that this is a Kirk Cousins game, which has had varying results during his time in Minnesota.

While the Raiders have allowed the most passing yards in the NFL through two weeks, those numbers could be inflated after Denver had to come from behind in Week 1 and Patrick Mahomes torched Oakland for 433 yards in their 28-10 loss to Kansas City last week.

It will be imperative for Cook to get going against the Raiders on Sunday or else the Minnesota Vikings will have to turn their keys over and hope for a “Good Kirk” game.