Midway through the third quarter Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings were starring in a movie we've seen time and again.
You've probably been bombarded with the statistics, and you're likely aware of the reputation: The Kirk Cousins-quarterbacked Vikings can't win big games.
Entering Sunday's 28-24 victory over the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys, Cousins was 6-14 in his career during prime-time games and 6-29 against opponents with winning records. Since signing him last offseason, the Vikings were winless in eight road games against above-.500 teams. And with 22 minutes remaining in Dallas, they'd blown a 14-0 lead on Sunday Night Football.
They were living up to the narrative, and reporters nationwide were double-checking all those infamous big-game stats in preparation for stories about the pretender Vikings.
But instead, Minnesota responded to Dallas' go-ahead touchdown with a seven-minute, 13-play touchdown drive, complete with a two-point conversion that probably turned out to be the difference between a loss and a win.
Ten of those 13 plays were handoffs to running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, who combined for 64 yards on said drive. Cook scored the touchdown, which turned out to be a game-winner and a slump-buster. He now leads the league in both rushing yards and yards from scrimmage, and he's the fourth NFL player this season to hit double digits in touchdowns.
frank @fferrara4157Dalvin Cook becoming the best runner on the Vikings and in the NFL https://t.co/N75hqxH87i
Cousins performed well. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns in a turnover-free showing. But without Cook and his 183 scrimmage yards on 33 touches, this likely would have been another case of Vikingitis.
The 24-year-old's brutal, punishing and relentless approach wore the Cowboys down and gave the Vikings critical balance against a defense that could never let loose on Cousins. His presence set the tempo, and it limited the chances for Bad Kirk Cousins to appear.
Minnesota controlled the ball for 56 percent of the game, and the Cowboys offense had just three possessions in the second half before it had to activate Hail Mary mode in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter.
"They did a good job in the second half running the football," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said of the Minnesota offense after the game on the NBC broadcast. "They had a lot of plays in the third quarter of the ball game where they were able to run it and convert third downs and keep drives alive. Our opportunities were few and far between in that part of the game."
The 2018 Vikings didn't win games like these. And this was no fluke, especially considering Minnesota was without its most accomplished wide receiver, Adam Thielen, who was sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
The Vikes have been playing good teams tough all year. They fell short in a three-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead last week, but they led that game in the fourth quarter. Last month, they trounced the Philadelphia Eagles (3-2 at the time) before dominating the Detroit Lions (2-2-1 at the time) on the road.
Cook was hardly a factor against Philadelphia, but Cousins threw four touchdown passes as part of a hot streak that landed him Offensive Player of the Month honors in October. But that pace, of course, wasn't sustainable. He picked up Cook there, as did Mattison. Cook had done the opposite when the Vikings nearly beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in September despite a dreadful performance from Cousins.
So there were signs this team was on the verge of a breakthrough, and now you have to feel good about its chances at 7-3 entering the home stretch. With this and an easy Week 8 Thursday Night Football victory over the Washington Redskins in the rear-view mirror, they no longer appear allergic to prime time.
That's fortunate because three of the final five games come on either Sunday night or Monday night.
Krauser @KrauserrificVikings are now 3-2 against teams that currently have winning records.
A Minnesota team that beats up on bad opponents and has an NFC-best six double-digit-point wins this season will be heavily favored at home against the Denver Broncos next week. Then it gets a bye week before playing the Seahawks in Seattle on Monday Night Football.
The extra time to prepare should be crucial there, and then they're essentially home for the final four weeks of the season. Their only "road game" is against the Chargers in Los Angeles, which doesn't really count.
The Chargers, Packers (who Minnesota faces in prime time at home in Week 16), Seahawks and Lions (who they take on at home in Week 14) all ranked in the bottom half of the league defending the run in terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) through nine weeks at Football Outsiders.
Beyond next week's Denver game, Cook might not have another true challenge until the Vikings close the regular season at home against the Chicago Bears—and even those two defenses have failed to live up to expectations this season.
The NFC is suddenly wide open.
The Packers look vulnerable on defense and continue to lack consistency on offense, and the Vikings still get to host them. The Lions and Bears are toast. The Cowboys and Eagles have both already lost to Minnesota, and neither looks like a team in line for a first-round bye. The Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers seem destined to beat each other up in the NFC West. And the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints were embarrassed by the Atlanta Falcons coming off their bye on Sunday.
Chris Long @ChrisLongKSTPThrough 10 games... Dalvin Cook rushing yards - 991 Dalvin Cook receiving yards - 424 ...that's 1415 total yards. 141.5/game. Dude.
Meanwhile, the Vikings look to be growing stronger.
Cook is a workhorse, and it helps that he's got Mattison's support. It also helps that even if both have off days, Cousins can go off without warning. The Vikings, who have surrendered 25 points in just two games this season and have plenty of talent on defense, can beat you in so many different ways.
That could be what makes this team special. This might not be the same movie. This might be one of those rare sequels that's a lot better than the original.
Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.
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November 11, 2019 at 01:06PM
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Nobody Can Stop Dalvin Cook, and That Is a Problem for the NFC - Bleacher Report
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