Dalvin Cook’s injury failed to stop ‘warrior’ from historic performance in Vikings vs Steelers win

11 days ago, Dalvin Cook dislocated his shoulder. On Thursday, he destroyed the Steelers.

There have been 155 games in NFL history where a backrun went for at least 200 yards. While Cook’s destruction of the Steelers in “Thursday Night Football” may not be a single-game record, it stands out in the history books.

Cook assisted the Vikings in a 36-28 win as he raced for 205 yards in 27 attempts and two touchdowns. His star performance came just a week after he had to miss the game due to a dislocated shoulder.

Before Cook, only two backrunners had ever dashed more than 200 yards in a game after missing his team’s previous game, among non-season openers.

“I think he’s a fighter,” said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, according to ESPN. “He goes out and plays. He’s a great leader. He’s a great opponent. He wants to play. Eric Sugarman, our coach, texted him. today and say, ‘Hey, are you sure you’re fine and good to go? He said, ‘I don’t regret it, I’m good to go.’ He said, “That’s why I’m doing this, I want to play.”

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Running for 200 yards is a rare feat. To do it after not playing the previous game is even more impressive. The last player to do so was Derrick Henry on December 29, 2019, when he dashed for 211 yards on the 32nd pass with three touches against the Texas net, according to data from Stathead. Last week, he was ruled out against the Saints due to a hamstring injury.

The only other player to hit 200 yards of javelin after missing his team’s previous game was the Cardinals re-run LeShon Johnson, who made 21 214-yard runs against the Saints on September 22, 1996, after when he wasn’t playing against the Patriots in Week 3. Before that game, he had games with one minus three-yard dash and three seven-yard dash.

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Cook was unavailable for the team’s loss to the Lions in Week 13, after he dislocated his left shoulder against the 49ers in Week 12. He was ejected during the team’s 34-26 loss to the 49ers. , and it initially appeared as if he would miss two games, according to ESPN.

However, Zimmer said earlier this week he had a good chance to play, and of course, he did. Cook wore a harness to support his shoulders throughout the game, and in wearing this harness, he set a “first half” record of 153 yards on 14 executions.

“Massive holes all night long,” Cook said. “So you have to warn those people in advance. They’re my people. They did a great job of blocking me tonight. Recipients, close closing, everyone did a great job at blocking. for me tonight. I’m just hitting the hole and trying to find the space out there.”

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In the game against the Steelers, Cook had 13 attempts over 5 metres, and averaged 10.9 meters per attempt in the first half. Even though he came back to earth in the second half, averaging four yards per take, he was still a force, as he still made 13 executions to help the Vikings drain the clock. He was only dealt with for losing three times during the win.

Cook’s giant night was the second rush in a single game of his career, after just 206 yards he posted against the Lions on November 8, 2020. Here’s the game. ninth at 200 yards due to a Minnesota run back. . Adrian Peterson holds the NFL record for the most runs of 200 yards with six games on the ground at least 200 yards, including one that hit the NFL’s record of 296 yards.

In games with a run back of at least 200 yards, their teams have a total of 145-10.