EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings traded up in the second round of the 2017 draft to select running back Dalvin Cook, who they believed would be the heir apparent to Adrian Peterson.

Cook and Peterson have many of the same explosive qualities that make them home run threats nearly every time they touch the ball. Cook's ferocious start in 2019 -- averaging 6.6 yards per rush on 57 carries for 375 yards and four touchdowns -- mirrors what Peterson did in Minnesota for the better part of eight seasons.

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Cook remains the NFL’s rushing leader after he put together another 100-yard performance (110) against the Oakland Raiders. He became the first Viking to rush for 100 yards in three consecutive games since Peterson in 2015. He is the first player in franchise history to rush for 100 yards in the first three games of the season.

His accomplishments don’t stop there. Cook is the fifth player in NFL history with at least 100 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first three games of a season, joining Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown (1958), O.J. Simpson (1975), Emmitt Smith (1995) and Curtis Martin (2004).

Cook’s resurgence in the first fully healthy season of his NFL career has been the catalyst for a shift on offense for the 2-1 Vikings. At this point in 2018, the Vikings had logged one 100-yard rushing performance as a team. Cook did it on his own against Atlanta, Green Bay and Oakland. This is partly due to the skill set of the player who has become the face of the Vikings' offense and partly due to a philosophy a long time in the making.

"The bottom line is score points," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "It doesn’t matter how we do it. In those two games where we got up [Atlanta and Oakland], there’s no need to throw the football when we’re up by three touchdowns. Again, they’re not always going to be like that. We want to be balanced. We want to get the ball to everybody, but we’re going to run the ball too. The first play-action touchdown that we threw was partly because of the run game, guys sucking up on the run. When those things happen, typically good things happen in the play-action, which I’ve been saying for many, many years."

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook leads the NFL with 375 rushing yards through three games. Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

The Vikings are the only NFL team averaging more rushing yards (193.7) than passing yards (164.7) per game. Minnesota is dialing up a designed run on 58% of its plays, according to ESPN Stats & Information, which is the franchise’s highest mark in a season since the stat was first tracked in 2006.

"It’s part of our head coach’s identity," Cook said. "That comes with the old-school rules. We know the type of defense we’ve got. If we can keep this thing close and keep this thing manageable for us to go win the football game, that’s part of running the football and taking big shots and making plays and just converting. That’s what Zim likes to do. I like it if that’s what Zimmer likes to do."

At this rate and if he stays healthy, Cook has a chance to win the NFL’s rushing title.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who is averaging 123.1 yards from scrimmage per game through the first two seasons of his career, will be out four-to-eight weeks because of a high ankle sprain. Ezekiel Elliott's rushing production could dip with quarterback Dak Prescott leading the NFL in total QBR (89.9) and completion percentage (74.5), Last season, the NFL’s rushing leader (Elliott) and the No. 2 (Barkley) were separated by 127 yards. Todd Gurley, who was No.3, has been slowed by a lingering knee injury so far this season.

Going forward, Cook will face an uphill battle to maintain his pace. Minnesota faces four of the league’s top 10 rushing defenses this season, beginning Sunday in Chicago (68.7 yards per game) and later against Philadelphia (57.0), Dallas (90.0) and Seattle (67.7).

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But Cook has shown an ability to make defenders miss and speed past them for big plays. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he has reached at least 15 mph on 22 of his 57 carries this season. Cook has had the most such carries and the highest percentage (38.6%) of them among backs with at least 15 rush attempts.

The Vikings have grown accustomed to Cook's explosive runs. That includes when he hit 20.50 mph on an outside zone run against the Falcons in Week 1, taking a handoff 19 yards for a touchdown and when he reached 20.39 mph on a 75-yard TD run in Green Bay in Week 2.

Cook’s ability to change direction was on display on a 15-yard run (seen below with NFL Next Gen Stats) midway through the third quarter Sunday against the Raiders. The play got the Vikings into the red zone and set up rookie Alexander Mattison's first career touchdown two plays later.

Against the Raiders, Cook rushed 12 times for 84 yards between the tackles, averaging 7.0 yards per rush. This season, he’s averaging 6.4 yards on 46 rushes between the tackles.

Even when the Vikings have faced a blocking disadvantage, Cook is thriving. He’s averaging 5.3 yards per rush on 21 carries in that situation and is averaging 2.68 seconds to reach the line of scrimmage. Last season, Cook averaged 2.2 yards per rush on 31 carries with a blocking disadvantage while taking 3.32 seconds on average to reach the line of scrimmage.

Cook’s early season production has been the most consistent part of the Vikings' offense. He has shown that if given an inch, he can carry the Vikings' offense as far as it wants to go. It's a promising start that he hopes to carry into the more difficult stretch of the schedule.

"That’s with each one of us on offense," Cook said. "Just be you, and don’t try to be nothing else. Don’t try to do nothing extra. Just go in and try to be me and make explosive plays and try to win football games."