5 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions – Week 9
By Chris Schad
Cook will rush for 150 yards
This might be a stop the presses moment, but the Vikings are a run-first team. Days after Minnesota plowed through the Packers defense for an upset victory, Mike Zimmer stepped to the podium and made his desire for the Vikings to pound the ball on the ground and take more responsibilities away from Kirk Cousins.
The idea seems simple as Cook is the best player on Minnesota’s offense. As the guy who seems to get everything going, centering the offense around Cook is something the Vikings should be doing and have been since John DeFilippo was fired in 2018.
On Sunday, this is the best course of action for a victory. The Lions will be without run-stuffing defensive end Trey Flowers and they rank 21st in DVOA against the run so far this year. With Minnesota’s offensive line starting to come together, it’s possible that Cook could put up a performance similar to the one he had in Green Bay last week.
Perhaps expecting 226 total yards is a bit of a reach, but Cook could put up monster yards and help will the Vikings to victory once again.