EAGAN, Minn. – Running back Dalvin Cook is set to miss a third straight game Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings face the New York Jets.
Cook is dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained in overtime of the Vikings’ Week 2 tie at Green Bay. One season after his rookie year was cut short by an ACL injury, Cook has played 10 quarters, rushing 36 times for 98 yards.
The running back was a full participant in practice Wednesday before missing Thursday and Friday’s sessions. This comes after Cook was a late scratch against the Cardinals. The Vikings’ training staff determined he wasn’t ready during pregame warm-ups.
Cook said the injury is tricky and he has to rely more on “feel” than sitting out a specific number of days and expecting to be ready to go.
“It makes it difficult because you never really know,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “He comes out and he says ‘Hey, I’m good to go.’ And it’s just kind of how it goes. You have to have versatility in your game plan.”
Latavius Murray , who recorded a career-high 155 yards rushing and a touchdown against the Cardinals, will be the Vikings’ lead back. Murray’s 74 yards after contact were the most by a Vikings running back since Adrian Peterson had 129 against the Raiders in 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Entering Week 6, Minnesota was the last team without a rushing touchdown.
“He’s (Murray) a guy that needs carries and the physicality of things,” Zimmer said. “I like Latavius and the way he approaches the game, and typically he’s not a one-carry-every-quarter guy, he’s a guy that needs to get the football some.”
Murray filled a similar role last season for the Vikings, becoming the team’s lead back in Cook’s absence. Asked whether Cook’s hamstring injury will require rest for an extended period of time, Zimmer said: “I don’t know. I’ll let the medical people handle it.”
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