The Vikings May be without their Stud Running Backs Monday Night
Joe Johnson
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The Vikings will maybe without their stud running back, Dalvin Cook, Monday Night in a game with huge playoff and division implications, as well as their stud rookie back in Alexander Mattison (who missed the Chargers game with an ankle injury). That’s according to multiple reports floating around the internet today.
Cook (re)injured his shoulder Sunday during the blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers after falling awkwardly onto his shoulder during an otherwise routine tackle in the third quarter of that contest. Cook was evaluated in the equally awkward blue tent on the sidelines and was ruled out for the rest of the game shortly therein.
Cook’s status may come as a surprise as the shoulder injury is often discussed interchangeably with an injury to Cook’s chest. Both have been spoken about in a similar fashion, as more of a “pain tolerance thing” than an overall health thing, and also as something that can’t get any worse than it already is, despite Sunday’s game (and the subsequent impact it’s had) giving ample proof that, yeah, it can get worse, as he is able to play with it at times and then also not able to play with it at times (as he’s left a game twice now with this injury in Seattle and Los Angeles).
That is, of course, unless the pain is too unbearable or the Vikings want Cook to be as near to full-strength when they hit Week 1 of the post-season as possible.
Adam Schefter reported this news today.
While the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson reported this:
Vikings running backs Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) are NOT practicing today. We will see if Mike Boone ends up making his first career start vs. Green Bay. All others are practicing today.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 19, 2019
This could also be partial subterfuge on behalf of the Vikings, a team that is notoriously quiet when talking about the health of its players. I’m a bit surprised that we’ve heard this so far removed from Monday Night’s action, and wouldn’t be surprised if Dalvin suited up anyway.
Whether or not he actually gets any snaps is another issue, but it wouldn’t be the worst decision in the world to take up a roster spot to ensure that the Packers are spending some of their precious prep-time preparing for Cook even if he isn’t playing (or, in this case, perhaps not preparing for him when he might, in fact, play).
The team is required by the league and its rule to report the health of each player, but they aren’t required to say whether or not that player is “likely” to play. While ESPN’s Adam “Don’t Call me Schiff” Schefter does have a lot of connections throughout the league, I’m just surprised that someone would let him know this this early. Sure, we know who practices and who doesn’t, but that doesn’t always mean someone will be available or not available in four days.
Regardless, this will have a significant impact on the outcome of Monday Night’s contest. Cook had one of the better games of his career against Green Bay during their first contest in Week 2. He ran the ball 20 times for 154 yards, a staggering 7.7 yards per carry output, with a 75-yard touchdown.
He also caught the ball three times for 37 yards.
Meanwhile, Mattison only had four carries in that contest but made the most of them with a 7.7 yards-per-carry average.
The Vikings were slightly favored to win the Monday Night contest before this “news” broke, with the odds favoring them to win and cover the 4.5-point spread Week 16. The crux of the views from the betting world is that while the Packers may sit a game up on the Vikings in the standings, Minnesota is the more impressive team on the whole.
The Vikings rank two spots higher in overall efficiency (7th vs. 9th), have a point differential that is 2.5 times-BETTER than the Packers (+119 to +47), and the Vikings are also 6-0 at home with an average margin of victory of 15.2 points-per-game.
Whether or not the Packers defense will be able to stop the topped rank deep passer in the game, in Cousins, now that he has Adam Thielen back from his hamstring injury, may determine the outcome of this game. But, considering how poorly Aaron Rodgers played in the win over the Bears… Both times, in the weeks before their contests with the Vikings this season, as I’ve said multiple times now. The Vikings have nothing to fear in the over-hyped Packers. Don’t believe me? Just ask the guys in Green Bay who cover the team for a living.
Either way, it’s looking like the Vikings may be a bit short-handed in their running game come Monday Night. Luckily for the Vikings, though, they do have running back Mike Boone as well.
Boone is coming off of a career game in which he had two touchdowns and 56 yards rushing from 13 touches (a healthy 4.3 yards-per-carry average), and change of pace guy Ameer Abdullah, who still has the speed and elusiveness to gouge opposing defenses if given the opportunity. Abdullah is very familiar with the Packers, as he received the most significant chunk of his playing experience after being drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2015 draft and could solidify his worth should he take advantage of the potential opportunity afforded to him Monday Night.