Vikings running back Dalvin Cook has been unstoppable since returning from a groin injury last week.
Cook topped 200 yards from scrimmage in last week’s win over the Packers, then had 206 rushing yards and 46 receiving yards today in a 34-20 win over the Lions. The Lions’ defense was in shambles, and only had 10 players on the field on a 70-yard Cook touchdown run.
With Cook leading the way, the Vikings dominated, and the Lions’ defense could do nothing. This is Year 5 for Lions General Manager Bob Quinn and Year 3 for Lions head coach Matt Patricia, and all their talk about building a tough, physical defense has been exposed as just talk. The Vikings pushed them around all day today.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had an ugly game after missing practice all week because he had close contact with someone who had COVID-19. He eventually got injured and replaced by Chase Daniel, who threw a touchdown pass, but only in garbage time.
The Lions seemed to want to get Adrian Peterson his first ever touchdown as a visitor in Minnesota, but he couldn’t do much. On one occasion Peterson got the ball at the 1-yard line but lost four yards on the play, and on another Stafford tried to force the ball to Peterson in the end zone when he wasn’t open.
It was a terrible game for Detroit, which drops to 3-5 and appears close to having to blow everything up and move on, perhaps without Quinn, Patricia or Stafford. This team is going nowhere.
The Vikings improved to 3-5 and are trying to dig their way out of a deep hole they fell in to start the season. It may be too late, but they’re playing good football at the season’s halfway point.