2. Dalvin Cook will rush for 150+ yards
Whenever he’s been healthy, Cook has consistently performed as a Pro Bowl running back for Minnesota. The bad news for the Cowboys’ defense is that Cook looks 100% healthy heading into Sunday night’s game.
Dallas might want to try to load the box to stop Cook from going wild on the ground, but that will provide too much open space for Jefferson and Thielen down the field. That’s why Cook is going to get a chance to soak up 25+ carries against mostly seven-man fronts on Sunday night.
Predictably, that’s going to be a productive strategy for the Vikings. Cook is a strong bet to average at least five yards per carry. The key for Dallas will be making sure he doesn’t run wild by breaking big gains if their linebacking corps misses tackles in the open field.
The end result is that Cook will gash the Cowboys’ defense for at least 150 yards. As long as he doesn’t push that number north of 200 then Dallas can still manage to outscore their opposition. Cook’s production is a big key for both teams heading into this game.