Yahoo Finance Dalvin Cook exposes Green Bay Packers' defense in Vikings' surprising win
The Minnesota Vikings scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, all by Davin Cook, as they stunned the Green Bay Packers, 28-22, on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Cook totaled 226 yards from scrimmage, scoring three rushing TDs and taking a catch 50 yards for a score to break the game open. After scoring twice against Green Bay in Week 1, Cook became the first Viking to score three TDs at Lambeau since Chuck Foreman did it in 1974.
Who would have thought that Cook, who hadn’t played since Week 5, had just returned from a groin injury?
Green Bay eventually stopped the bleeding, holding Minnesota scoreless for the final 20 minutes, but by then it was too late. The Packers started a pair of rookies at inside linebacker — Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin — and both of them appeared to struggle early on.
The Packers’ run defense has been hot and cold this season, entering the game ranked in the middle of the pack against the rush. That’s twice this season that Minnesota has exploited Green Bay’s weakness.
The Packers had taken 7-0 and 14-7 leads in the first half but couldn’t stop Cook. He also became the first Packers opponent to score four times at Lambeau since the Panthers’ DeAngelo Williams did it in 2008.
After scoring their second TD, the Packers went 32 game minutes without scoring. Aaron Rodgers rallied Green Bay with a late drive, connecting with Davante Adams for their third TD of the game. The subsequent two-point conversion gave the Packers a chance to win.
Cook helped ice the game with a late first-down run that drained the clock to under a minute remaining.
Rodgers finished the game 27-of-41 passing for 291 yards and three TD passes. He wasn’t sacked nor hit in the first 59-plus minutes of the game. On Rodgers’ final pass attempt, rookie D.J. Wonnum hit Rodgers on a sack-fumble that sealed it for Minnesota.
Rodgers’ counterpart, Kirk Cousins, wasn’t asked to do a lot after struggling recently. Cousins was an efficient 11-of-14 passing for 160 yards and was sacked only once.
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