In his first game back since suffering an adductor strain in Seattle three weeks ago, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook made history in Minnesota’s 28-22 upset win over the Green Bay Packers.
Cook became the first player to score a touchdown on each of his team’s first four possessions of a game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. Minnesota’s first four drives resulted in the following: a 21-yard rushing touchdown, back-to-back 1-yard rushing touchdowns and a 50-yard receiving touchdown, all of which were made possible by the fourth-year running back.
Cook’s monster day in Green Bay puts him in elite company. He is the third player in franchise history to record four TDs in a game, a feat first achieved by Chuck Foreman in 1975 and then by Ahmad Rashad four years later.
He is also the first player ever to surpass 200 yards from scrimmage and score four TDs against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Of Minnesota’s 324 net yards of offense, Cook accounted for 163 yards on 30 carries and caught two passes for 63 yards, including his career-long 50-yard catch that resulted in his fourth and final touchdown.
The Vikings’ offense looked renewed coming off its bye week after a blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which Minnesota rushed for 32 yards total in Cook’s absence.
The difference Cook made was tangible from the very beginning. The Vikings entered Sunday having converted just 38% of their third downs and went 4-of-7 on third down Sunday, with Cook responsible for two of the successes.
The Vikings also bucked their fourth-down woes in Green Bay. After Alexander Mattison failed to convert on fourth-and-inches in Seattle, which would have sealed a victory on the road, and Mike Boone was stopped on fourth down against Atlanta at the goal line, Minnesota found success behind Cook, who converted on fourth-and-1 from Green Bay’s 23-yard line ahead of the two-minute warning in the first half to extend a drive that resulted in his second touchdown. It allowed the Vikings to take a 14-14 tie with Green Bay into halftime.
Cook was limited on Wednesday and Thursday in practice but participated in full on Friday. Talk of keeping the running back on a pitch count was dispelled by members of the coaching staff, who noted the importance of having Cook available to help the offense get back on track.
“How Dalvin goes, we normally go, so obviously we’ve got to get him going and get him back to work,” offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said last week.
Cook joined Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Adrian Peterson as the only players in NFL history with multiple games with at least 150 rushing yards against the Packers in their careers. Minnesota is now 2-5 on the season after starting it with three straight losses.