Vikings RB Dalvin Cook earns NFC honor for second straight week
Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings scores a touchdown against Quandre Diggs #37 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field on October 11, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. ((Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - For the second straight week, Dalvin Cook is being honored for having a big game in leading the Minnesota Vikings to another NFC North Division win.
Cook on Wednesday was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight time. He’s the first to win it in consecutive weeks since Ryan Fitzpatrick did it in 2018. Cook is also the first non-quarterback to do it since Todd Gurley in 2016 with the Los Angeles Rams.
Cook ran for a career-high 206 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in a 34-20 win over the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. He added two catches for 46 yards, and averaged 9.4 yards per carry. Cook’s 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, where the Lions only had 10 players on the field, sealed Minnesota’s win to improve to 3-5 on the season.
Through nine weeks, Cook leads the NFL in rushing with 858 yards, 15 ahead of Tennessee Titan’s running back Derrick Henry. Cook also leads the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns, and is averaging nearly six yards per carry. That’s despite missing the Vikings’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and the second half of the loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with a groin injury.
I"t’s always good to be out front in statistics, it just shows that hard work that you put in. I’m big on letting my guys know up front that this thing can be done. Y’all just get on guys and I’m going to make a play. I think being first in some of the statistics shows that to the O-line, gives them that confidence," Cook said Thursday.
The Vikings head to Chicago to face the Bears for Monday Night Football, seeking their third straight division win.