4 keys to victory for the Vikings against the Colts in Week 2

Set the tone with Dalvin Cook

The Minnesota Vikings are only going to go as far as Dalvin Cook takes them. The star running back got paid before their Week 1 defeat and now is the time to prove he is worthy of such a lucrative deal.

Cook was nullified by the Packers to a certain extent. But the Vikings fell behind early which put the game in the hands of quarterback Kirk Cousins. The former second-round pick was unable to make his usual impression on the game and the same thing cannot happen in a pivotal Week 2 matchup.

The Colts will be all-too-aware of the threat posed by Cook, who will be seeing plenty of stud linebacker Darius Leonard at the point of attack. It is vital that the Vikings put their best offensive player in the right spots to make inroads early on in order to open up other areas of the field.

He managed to attain 50 rushing yards from 12 carries on opening weekend. But Cook was a non-factor in the passing game as the Vikings got the ball downfield quickly to try and get back into the contest.

This is something that needs to change against the Colts. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak needs to lean on the back early in the hope Cook can set the tone and his ability as a dual-threat presence in the backfield is another element that Minnesota needs to see more of going forward.