NEW ORLEANS – Dalvin Cook had five carries on the Vikings' opening eight plays during Sunday's 26-20 overtime victory against the Saints, leaving little doubt whether coordinator Kevin Stefanski could still lean on Cook despite chest and shoulder injuries.
Cook finished with 130 yards (94 rushing) and two touchdowns on 31 touches, one shy of his career-high workload in his first NFL playoff game.
"I knew I was going to get it, but I'd been out for three weeks," said Cook, who was sidelined against the Packers and Bears. "I'm fresh. I'm ready to go. I've been rehabbing a lot. I've been spending a majority of my time in [the training room], so coaches knew I was ready. Just like the start of a new season for me."
Improved offensive line play helped, according to coach Mike Zimmer, but Cook's elusiveness turned the smallest openings into big gains.
"They got some really great players on the defensive line," Zimmer said. "But the way [Cook] runs the football, with the acceleration to get through the seams and cracks, and the physicality he runs with — he made some great runs."
Balance was restored. The Vikings' game plan aimed to spread out the Saints with pre-snap motions and three-receiver formations, from which Cook found room for a 5-yard second-quarter touchdown and a 19-yard catch and run. Receiver Adam Thielen lined up at fullback on a 22-yard run by Cook.
"When we're a healthy team and they're rolling," linebacker Anthony Barr said, "we don't feel too much pressure. So we can go out there and if we make a mistake, they have our back. It hasn't been like that in years past."
A 'silly' topic?
Before Zimmer's second playoff victory as Vikings coach on Sunday, co-owner Mark Wilf issued a statement saying he "values the leadership" of Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman amid rumors about Zimmer's job status. Zimmer pointed to his regular-season winning percentage (.599), which ranks seventh among active head coaches with at least three seasons.