2. Dalvin Cook is outpacing Adrian Peterson’s MVP season from 2012
Take this one with the largest grain of salt you can find. Why? Because Adrian Peterson evolved into something that was not human in the second half of the 2012 season. It’s why he won the MVP award. No non-quarterback has taken home the honors since.
For now, though, Cook is on a more prolific pace than Peterson from 2012. Cook has notched 858 rushing yards and a total of 13 touchdowns through eight Vikings games. Peterson, in 2012, had 775 rushing yards and four scores in the Vikings first eight contests. Of note: Cook has played in seven of the team’s eight games this season. Peterson played in all eight during his MVP campaign.
What’s more, Cook is averaging 6.4 yards per touch in this pandemic-riddled season. Peterson finished with an even 6.0 yards per touch in 2012. It is spooky to compare the two because it feels pretentious to proclaim Cook as the same caliber back as Peterson. Based solely on the numbers, however, Cook irrefutably deserves to be in the conversation.