The Vikings have strung together two of their best performances in back-to-back weeks. After a thrilling upset victory in Green Bay last weekend the Vikings continued their success against the Lions in Week 9.
Both wins have one thing in common, and that’s been the dominant performances out of Dalvin Cook.
Despite missing 1.5 games on the season, Cook took over the league lead in rushing yards this past weekend with his 206-yard performance. Now at 858 rushing yards on the season, Cook has entered his name into the MVP conversation.
Over his last two games Cook has totaled 478 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns, quite literally carrying the Vikings to two consecutive wins against divisional opponents.
These numbers are impressive, but Cook is also dominating in almost every other statistical category. He ranks first in the NFL in terms of PFF with a 91.2 overall grade and leads the league with 12 touchdowns, 41 forced missed tackles and 4.2 yards per carry after contact.
On top of all those numbers, Cook has more total rushing yards than ten teams in the NFL.
The Vikings were faced with a tough decision this summer when it came to paying their star running back. They ended up reaching an agreement on a five-year extension and Cook has shown that he deserves top running back money when he’s healthy.
The MVP award usually goes to the league’s best quarterback, and that’s usually because that quarterback is the most critical for his team’s success. Cook has shown how valuable he is to the Vikings offense, as the team lost to a winless Atlanta team when he was sidelined just a few weeks ago.
The narrative is out there on running backs not being worth the money in the NFL. However, Cook is showing week in and week out that he is one of the most dominant players at any position in the league.
With his performances as of late, the Vikings running back has shown that he belongs in the MVP conversation.