Nine carries for 84 yards. This was the stat line for Vikings running back Dalvin Cook in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots. Despite finding themselves in a tie with 35 seconds remaining on the clock late in the third quarter, Minnesota offensive coordinator John Defilippo refused to get Cook, the Vikings’ most explosive offensive player, more opportunities to pound the New England defensive front. Nine carries for 84 yards for possibly the fastest running back in the NFL, against Tom Brady and the Patriots, in Foxboro, in December.



As I broke down the film of the loss, the lack of runs was the most striking aspect, but there was also this: the Vikings were in shotgun almost exclusively on first down. By my count, Minnesota had 26 first-down plays, and 21 were out of shotgun. While running the football out of the shotgun can be done — many teams are using the formation more and more — it is less effective than runs that begin with the quarterback under...