Minnesota Vikings Unsung Heroes: Week 5 vs. the Seattle Seahawks
By Luke Parrish
Offensive Unsung Hero from Week 5:
Running back depth
Minnesota ran the ball at will against Seattle and they had contributions from several guys. Dalvin Cook did his thing early in the game before leaving with a groin injury. In his absence, Mike Boone and Alexander Mattison carried the load.
Mattison carried the ball 20 times for 112 yards while adding three receptions for 24 yards. His 5.6 yards per attempt were higher than Cook’s average on the season (5.3) and much higher than his average against Seattle (3.8).
Outside of Cook’s performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 in which he averaged 8.2 yards per carry, he has not averaged more than five yards per attempt in any other game this year.
Mattison’s performance in Week 5 pushed him over 200 rushing yards on the season and elevated his average to 5.0 yards per carry. Mike Boone, who had not played an offensive snap prior to the Seattle game, rushed two times for 19 yards.
Obviously, Cook is the lead back moving forward, but it is nice to know the Vikings have reliable guys behind him if they need them this season. Even though Mattison will get criticized for failing to convert the fourth down that could have sealed the win for Minnesota, he still had a strong outing.