When Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook entered the NFL in 2017, there were high expectations for him, and over the first several weeks, he delivered, but a torn ACL ended his season prematurely.

Then, last year, Cook played in 11 games, once again missing some time due to knee issues. But again, when he was on the field, he was impressive.

Injuries have been the only thing holding Cook back from achieving greatness, and thus far in 2019, he is making it obvious that, when healthy, he is one of the most talented running backs in the league.

Through two games, Cook has racked up an NFL-leading 265 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, averaging an insane 6.5 yards per carry. Most recently, he gashed a vastly improved Green Bay Packers defense for 154 yards and a score in a 21-16 loss.

Now, Cook will get set for another big outing against an Oakland Raiders club that has actually been pretty stout against the run thus far this season, allowing just 63 rushing yards per game.

But the Raiders have yet to see a running back like Cook.

Cook has played 17 NFL games thus far in his career, and over that span (which is basically a full season), he has accumulated 1,234 yards and seven touchdowns as a rusher while averaging five yards per attempt. In addition, he has hauled in 56 receptions for 441 yards and a couple of scores.

Obviously, the 24-year-old is a major threat, both as a rusher and as a pass-catcher, and I'm not sure the Raiders' defense will be up to task.

Remember: Oakland ranked just 30th in defending the run last season. Has the Raiders' run defense really improved that much in the span of a year, or is it just a matter of a small sample size?

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Benedetto Vitale ·

The logo for the 2024 NFL Draft is in the middle of the image. On the left side is a logo of the Minnesota Vikings with a green up arrow next to it. On the right side is a silhouette of an American football helmet with a question mark inside it. There is a red down arrow next to the helmet.

Matt Wadleigh ·

Georgia Tight end Brock Bowers, Raiders

Shane Shoemaker ·

I vote the latter, especially considering that Oakland did allow a combined 99 yards to Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay on 21 combined rushes in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.

Really, the Raiders only defended the run well in one game thus far, and that came last week in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cook is arguably playing better than any halfback in the NFL right now, and it remains to be seen if Oakland is able to put forth another strong effort in defending the ground game against the Vikings.

I think Cook is in for another big game.