Cook the best back in the NFL? Derrick Henry says so
Joe Johnson
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Cook the best back in the NFL? Derrick Henry thinks so
With the Minnesota Vikings on the precipice of playing the Carolina Bridgewater’s this Sunday, a team that’ll be without Christian McCaffrey, all eyes will be on Dalvin Cook as the best back on Sunday (a week after the Vikings faced Ezekiel Elliot and the Dallas Cowboys). Because of McCaffrey’s injury plagued 2020, Cook hasn’t had as much competition for that title, save perhaps for Tennessee Titans bell-cow Derrick Henry.
Going into Week 12, Henry is the Cook’s main competition for the rushing title, as he leads Cook by 10 yards (Henry has 1,079. Cook has 1,069). That’s despite Cook playing one less game than Henry (and thus leading the league in per game yards, with over 118).
But if you ask Henry who the league’s best back is, he names Cook.
Henry said of Cook today:
“Dalvin Cook is having a phenomenal season,” Henry said Wednesday. “Right now, I would say he’s the best back in football. Just week after week, always dominating. Always having a great game. Running the ball. Catching the ball. Very explosive.”
Henry closed out his 2019 with 100-games in five of his last six games, which makes this season’s rushing title race all the more entertaining as one of the tightest races (at this point in the season) in the last decade.
“I love watching him run on film,” Henry said of Cook. “He is doing a great job this year. That guy’s just been incredible the whole year. He runs hard, runs through tackles, makes guys miss. He’s just been balling.”
Let’s hope that Cook continues to ball as the Vikings will need to to match or exceed Henry’s 2019 output if they want to dig their way out of the 4-6 hole they keep falling back into after digging themselves halfway out.
Because rushing titles are one thing, but what this team needs is an actual title and with the NFC being more wide open, also at this point in the season, than previous years, it isn’t hard to think that this Vikings offense would be capable of a deep playoff run (if they could keep the what defense will we get week-to-week on the sidelines for as long as possible).
But for now it looks like we’ll have to settle for the rushing title race. Which, is something, I guess. At least Henry seems like a worthy, and nice, opponent (unlike our regular opponent for that other title, whatever god we angered when we built the Met Stadium).