Dalvin Cook carries Vikings to first win of the 2020 season

The Minnesota Vikings were able to hold onto a win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Last week, it felt like the Minnesota Vikings were going to leave the field with their first win of the 2020 NFL season. The Vikings ended up letting a victory slip out their hands, but they made sure the same didn’t happen on Sunday against the Houston Texans.

This time, Minnesota held onto their lead and left the building with their first win of the year after defeating the Texans by a final score of 31-23.

To get their victory, the Vikings utilized a heavy dose of running back Dalvin Cook. A week after setting a new single-game career-high in rushing yards, Cook carried the ball 27 times and racked up a total of 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Minnesota Vikings squeak out a win over the Houston Texans

The Texans had a shot to tie the game up during the end of the matchup, but luckily a catch in the end zone on their final offensive play of the day was ruled incomplete after an official review.

It was a game that was full of ups and downs for both Minnesota and Houston. The Vikings headed into the half up 17-6, but then the Texans were able to pull within one point midway through the third quarter.

Unlike previous weeks, however, Minnesota was able to make adjustments and end their day with a victory.

In addition to Cook’s impressive afternoon, the Vikings passing attack had themselves a good performance as well. Kirk Cousins threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson both finished with over 100 receiving yards.

Minnesota’s defense looked like they might be heading in the right direction with their play against Houston.

The Vikings finished with three sacks during the matchup which equaled the entire total that they had in their previous three games. Minnesota also had to play the entire second half without safety Harrison Smith, who was ejected in the second quarter after an embarrassing call by the officials following an unintentional helmet-to-helmet hit.

The Vikings will look to improve their 1-3 record next week in a tough road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who have yet to lose a game this season.