The Minnesota Vikings got back to running the football on Sunday versus the Miami Dolphins. But it was what they did when they started finding holes in the running game that was really a welcomed change on the offensive side of the ball.
They kept running the ball.
By the time the final whistle blew, the Vikings as a team had posted 220 rushing yards. It came as a split with Latavius Murray (68 yards) and Dalvin Cook (136 yards) carrying most of that load.
For Cook, it was his first 100 yard rushing game since his NFL debut in September 11th, 2017. Add in two touchdowns, one of which was really pretty with a devastating spin move to free him off to the outside (see that here).
It was clear that the Vikings starting running back is finally back to 100% and is running the ball under an offensive coordinator that is going to give him enough work to get a groove going.
"When he's got the ball in his hands, he's pretty special," head coach Mike Zimmer told KFAN after the game. "The last touchdown he scored was a big time run. It only took 9 seconds off the clock but we'l take the points every time. He's an all around good player."
That was one of the main differences noted with the offense being called under Kevin Stefanski. With the old regime, abandoning the run game was one of the first choices when adversity struck. Today, adversity never really struck, but they stuck with it again and again to wear down the defense and allow the backs to get some momentum cooking.
You can listen to the rest of the Mike Zimmer interview in the player below...