Dalvin Cook led the Minnesota Vikings to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 36-28 victory on Thursday night.
The Vikings have struggled to stay healthy this season. They took the field without their star wide receiver, Adam Thielen, and even Cook was questionable heading into the game.
Just 11 days ago, Cook suffered a dislocated shoulder in a game against the San Francisco 49ers and he was held out of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. He was expected to be out for the next two games, but returned early – and in impressive fashion. Coming off the injury, Cook put up 205 yards and two touchdowns, but he was quick to give credit to his teammates for his big night.
“The holes were big all night,” Cook said. “So you’ve gotta give those guys credit upfront. They’re my guys. They did a great job of blocking for me tonight. Receivers, tight ends, everybody did a great job of blocking for me tonight. I’m just hitting holes and trying to find some space out there.”
Head coach Mike Zimmer spoke to Cook’s competitive nature and mindset before the game.
“I think he’s a warrior,” Zimmer said. “He comes out and competes. He’s a great leader. He’s a great competitor. He wants to play. Eric Sugarman, our trainer, texted him today and said, ‘Hey, are you sure you’re OK and good to go?’ He said, ‘I have no regrets, I’m good to go.’ He said, ‘That’s why I do this, I want to play.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. There was no doubt in his mind he was playing tonight.”
Despite missing three games, Cook is the league’s second-leading rusher with 978 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s averaging 97.8 yards per game. Cook is posed for another good showing next week as the Vikings take on the Chicago Bears, whose run defense comes in at 23 this season.
