C.J. Ham #30 of the Minnesota Vikings spikes the ball in celebration of teammate Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 01, 2020 in Green Bay, … ((Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings aren’t going to deviate from Mike Zimmer’s formula when it comes to winning football games.
Run the football, play physical and aggressive on defense and win the line of scrimmage. Dalvin Cook was the offensive star with 226 total yards and four touchdowns Sunday, and the defense made enough plays with the game on the line. The Vikings left Lambeau Field Sunday night with a 28-22 win over the Green Bay Packers, their NFC North Division rivals, improving to 2-5 on the season with the NFL trade deadline two days away.
It came at a price, with Cameron Dantzler being taken off the field via stretcher late in the first quarter. He suffered a neck injury getting hit by teammate Anthony Harris while tackling A.J. Dillon, and was evaluated at a hospital for a concussion. The Vikings also lost Kris Boyd to a right knee injury in the second half, leaving Jeff Gladney and Harrison Hand as the healthy remaining defensive backs against Aaron Rodgers, who lives for comeback wins.
Zimmer joked after the game he needs “Just for Men” to fix some of his gray hair between injuries and rookies on defense. The Vikings had a pair of 12 men on the field penalties after miscommunications on defense.
“It was very, very hectic on the sideline today,” Zimmer said.
But the day, and the win, belonged to Cook. He became the first Packers’ opponent to go for more than 200 yards from scrimmage and score four touchdowns in one game. He's also the fifth player in NFL history with at least 200 yards from scrimmage, three rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in a single game in the Super Bowl era.
“It’s my first win at Lambeau, that’s the most important. Get my team back on track, get the team back where it needed to be at. We work so hard every day, limitless hours that nobody knows. Losing don’t feel good, so getting a win today is most important for me. Winning is first for me,” Cook said.
The career day comes after missing most of the second half at Seattle, and not playing against the Atlanta Falcons before the bye week, due to a left groin injury. Cook had 30 carries for 163 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns Sunday. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry.
“He really is the best back in the league,” said linebacker Eric Kendricks, who led the Vikings with 12 tackles.
Cook's first touchdown tied the game 7-7 in the first quarter after the Packers scored on their opening drive. His second score tied the game 14-14 in the second quarter, after Rodgers connected with Davante Adams for the second of three touchdowns on the day.
Answering Green Bay's early scoring drives allowed the Vikings to stay with their plan to run the ball on a cold, windy day at Lambeau Field.
Cook’s third rushing touchdown of the day gave Minnesota a 21-14 lead in the third quarter. The defense then got a stop on Harrison Smith’s fourth down pass break-up in the end zone, which the Vikings used to create a two-score lead.
On a 3rd-and-9, Kirk Cousins went to Cook on a screen. With blockers and green grass in front of him, he took it 50 yards virtually untouched to give the Vikings a 28-14 lead.
“If we don’t get the first down, we’re punting there. Not only did we get the first down, he takes it all the way to the house. That’s just ability, that’s a talented player showing what he can do,” said Cousins, who finished 11-of-14 for 160 yards, the score to Cook and no turnovers.
Cook improves to second in the NFL in rushing, and leads the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns. Add in Sunday’s receiving touchdown, and he’s the first Viking since Ahmad Rashad in 1979, 41 years ago, to score four touchdowns in a game.
The Vikings went to their best and most versatile offensive player at every opportunity to get the ball in the end zone.
“That’s Coach Zim football right there, that’s all I can say. That’s Coach Zim’s identity, and that’s the type of football we play here in Minnesota,” Cook said.
But as long as Rodgers is the Packers’ quarterback, no lead is safe. The Vikings almost found that out the hard way on Sunday, in a way anyone who has watched Minnesota has seen repeatedly.
Rodgers hit Adams for his third score of the day with 2:42 to play. Jamaal Williams barely crossed the goal line for the two-point conversion, and the Vikings led 28-22. They couldn’t get first downs to run out the clock, and gave Rodgers another chance with 47 seconds left.
That’s with Gladney and Hand the only healthy defensive backs, and Harris having to shift to slot corner as a result. Rodgers has led plenty of game-winning drives to make Zimmer nervous.
“I never felt like the game was in our grasp, even with 57 seconds left and he’s got the ball in his hand and no timeouts. Yeah it was pretty rough. I’m worn out,” Zimmer said.
He could joke about it after. Rodgers got the Packers to around midfield when rookie defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum got a sack and forced a fumble, which the Vikings recovered to seal a division win on the road.
“Those young guys, I feel like they don’t understand that they can change the game at any play. If they make a mistake, they’ve got to let it go because the next play could be the difference in the game,” Kendricks said. “You can see it now, that’s exactly what happened.”
The Vikings improve to 2-5 and host the Detroit Lions next Sunday. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, and names including Riley Reiff, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, Harris and even Pat Elflein have been rumored as candidates. The franchise has a decision to make – trade players for future picks and build a young roster, or try to stack wins and chase a playoff spot?
Zimmer said Sunday’s win doesn’t lock up a decision on the future, one way or another.
“I don’t believe so. It just depends on what kind of offers we get or what kind of things we can come up with. It really has nothing to do with the wins at this point in time,” Zimmer said.