The Minnesota Vikings got their first home win of the season, beating the Detroit Lions 34-20. Aside from some special teams flubs, this was a complete team victory. They looked good on both sides of the ball and won soundly.
Here are four things we learned in the Vikings’ second straight win:
Cook needs to be in the MVP discussion
Dalvin Cook has been on a tear this season and just put up 206 yards on the ground a week after running for 163 against the Green Bay Packers. The guy is so dynamic: The way he can wiggle through a hole and then accelerate just isn’t fair. He can come to a complete stop and in two steps be back to full speed again. He’s a crazy talent, one the Vikings are clearly hinging their slim playoff chances on.
There needs to start being some serious discussion league-wide about Cook when it comes to the NFL MVP. Yes, quarterbacks get all the love, and names like Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes are going to get more consideration. But Cook’s performances the last few weeks have to get him in the mix. Cook already has 858 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the season — and he’s still got eight games left to play.
Cook has shown in the last two weeks he’s the best back in the NFL, and he needs to be considered in the MVP conversation.
They need to work on their punt protection
The Vikings looked great from top to bottom today against the Lions, except for one aspect of their game: punt protection. The Lions blocked two of Minnesota’s punts today, and that was the only thing that kept them clinging to the slim possibility of winning this game. Detroit wasn’t even trying to block the punt the first time. Mike Boone simply whiffed on his block, and the Lions’ scrub special teamer had a clear path to Colquitt.
The second time the Lions just came through the middle, and Romeo Okwara got his hand up and swatted the ball back down to the turf. This one was likely due to a lack of effort, because the game was already out of reach at that point. If that is the reason, it is certainly not an excuse. The Vikings will be spending a lot of extra time in practice this week shoring up this unit and making sure they don’t have a punt blocked in a game that is much closer.
Irv Smith JR. can be a viable red zone option
Today the Vikings dusted off a weapon that had been sitting in the back of their closet all season. When they were in the red zone they used Irv Smith Jr. to run a little out route and hit him for an easy touchdown. They ended up running this play twice, and Smith scored both times. The guy has great speed, and it was evident on those plays. He was able to create just enough separation from the Lions’ defender and then waltz into the end zone.
Hopefully, the Vikings take note of this and continue to utilize their second-year tight end the remainder of the season. If Cook keeps having success, teams will hone in on him every time the Vikings are inside the 5-yard line. This could lead to more opportunities for Smith, and if he becomes a consistent threat he’ll take some pressure off of Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson and Cook in those situations.
The more weapons the better for this Vikings’ offense, and today we learned Smith can be an effective one.
The Vikings run defense needs to tighten up
There isn’t much to get too upset about in the Vikings’ performance today. The biggest issue was their protection when they were punting the football — allowing two blocks in one game is inexcusable. A better team would have made them pay, but the Lions are the Lions and could only cash in on one of those opportunities.
But the other area of concern for the Vikings today was their run defense.
Early in this game the Vikings’ run defense was getting gashed. Whether it was Adrian Peterson plowing up the middle for 6-8 yards a pop, or D’Andre Swift burning the team on the outside, they were giving up yardage on the ground in pretty sizeable chunks. To Minnesota’s credit, they came out and fared much better in this area in the second half. But if the game had been closer, the Lions likely would’ve run it more, and who’s to say they wouldn’t have continued to find success?
The Vikings face three quality backs in the coming weeks, David Montgomery, Ezekiel Elliott and James Robinson, so they need to shore up their run defense. They can’t afford to be porous against the run while also having suspect coverage in their cornerback corps if they want to scrap their way back into playoff contention. Whether it is more rotation with Armon Watts, or playing Harrison Smith close to the line of scrimmage or just calling more run blitzes, this is one area the Vikings will need to improve moving forward.
