Oakland Raiders: Top 3 keys to victory in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings
By Kyle Foster
2. Slow down the running game
This seems obvious, but it’s easier said than done.
In order to get off to the fast start as mentioned before, the Raiders will need to make Minnesota be one-dimensional on offense. A great way to do that would be to stop Cook.
Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, and Vontaze Burfict will be some of the key players to watch when it comes to slowing down the running game.
Stopping the Minnesota rushing attack would force Kirk Cousins to throw the ball more, which shouldn’t be all that bad since Oakland has adequate defensive backs who are capable of stopping the pass.
Hot. Oakland Raiders: Jon Gruden should pull the trigger on Jalen Ramsey trade. light
Dalvin Cook has been a pretty solid running back since coming into the National Football League. Last week, against the Packers he rushed for 154 yards on 20 carries to go along with a 75-yard touchdown run.
In Week 1, he also rushed for 111 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. So, he’s off to a fast start so far in this young season, which means a logical goal would be to hold Cook to under 100 yards of rushing for the first time this season.
He’s a good enough running back to where he’s going to get his numbers, but a game of under 100 yards rushing would be a win for Oakland.
Things always become a lot easier when a team has its hopes of rushing on the day squashed.