The Vikings certainly didn’t live up to the hype in 2018. Following an epic playoff run the year prior, everyone was expecting the Vikings to be a legit Super Bowl contender under new starting QB Kirk Cousins. However, Minnesota finished a pedestrian 8-7-1 and failed to reach the playoffs. A lot of this was attributed to Cousins, but after looking further into the stats, there’s a lot more to the Vikings story. And, it revolves around how Dalvin Cook might just be the guy to finally push the Vikings into Super Bowl territory.

2018 Vikings Woes

Minnesota had a classic season of peaks and valleys in 2018, never stringing more than two wins together. Most of the blame was placed on Kirk Cousins strictly because he was the guy getting $84 million guaranteed. But, Kirk wasn’t bad in 2018. In fact, I think he was good. His 4,298 and 30 TDs ranked 10th and ninth respectively. He also had the second-highest completion percentage in the league.

via. Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports

The problem that no one talked about was that the Vikings couldn’t run the football in 2018. The combination of a not-100% Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray made the Vikings the 30th ranked team rushing yards. That’s a formula for little regular season success and a slim chance of making the playoffs. Of the 12 playoff teams last season, 10 of them ranked inside the top half of the league in terms of rushing.

It’s simple. You can’t be unable to run the ball and expect to be a quality team. The fact that Minnesota had eight wins last year is proof enough that there’s a ton of talent on that roster to make it work.

Dalvin Cook’s Claim As the Best

So, you might be wondering how an 8-7-1 team that’s just now learning to run the football instantly can be labeled as a Super Bowl contender. I’ll explain it in simple terms. A healthy Dalvin Cook might just be the best running back in football. It’s not that far-fetched if you think about it.

As a rookie, Cook led the league in rushing through his first three games, before tearing his ACL, being forced to start from scratch. Before that, he was on his way to becoming Florida State’s all-time leading rusher, drawing comparisons to guys like Jamaal Charles before the draft.

via. Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire

But, as I mentioned, just like Charles, Dalvin Cook tore his ACL just four games into his career. He had to undergo a year of rehab and changes that took time for him to get used to. Here we are now, two full years later, as Cook enters Week 4 once again as the NFL’s leading rusher.

Cook has been unstoppable through three weeks. He’s the first player to rush for 100 yards and a TD in the first three games since DeMarco Murray did so in 2014. His 6.6 yards per carry outpace all other eligible runners, and he’s done it against teams that have been solid in all other contests, leading me to believe that maybe Cook is just that much better.

Super Bowl Dreams

So, to reiterate, I believe that adding arguably the best runner in football at 100% to an 8-7-1 team makes them not only a playoff team but a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Obviously other things have to go right, starting with Kirk Cousins, but as I’ve highlighted in the past, running the ball in the postseason is key. Winning the battles in the trenches and fighting for every yard is essential. When you have a guy who’s getting over six yards per carry, it’s hard to ignore.

The NFC is full of quality teams, but there’s no shining star among the group. With Dalvin Cook as an MVP candidate (yes start realizing that) the ceiling for the Vikings shouldn’t be anything less than playing in Miami on February 2.

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