Minnesota Vikings: Studs and duds vs. Raiders in Week 3

Stud: Dalvin Cook

Another stud that stood out for Minnesota in a win in front of its home crowd at US Bank Stadium on Sunday was Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. Cook, coming into the Week 3 contest while leading the NFL in total rushing yards, continued his stellar start to his third professional season in the league against the Raiders.

Cook was a force running the ball on the ground, finishing with a team-best 110 yards and one touchdown on 16 total carries. He also finished with 33 yards receiving on four receptions. Cook is continuing to establish himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL so far this season, which is nothing but a great sign for the Vikings offense.

Dud: Vikings pass defense

Although Minnesota’s defense overall had a nice performance at first glance when looking at this game against Oakland, the Vikings pass defense struggled to some extent throughout the contest and specifically in the first half.

With a few key pieces missing within its dominant defense which has established itself as one of the top defensive units in the NFL once again this year, Minnesota allowed Oakland to operate a little too freely within its passing game.

Especially when it came to targeting tight end Darren Waller, who finished with 13 catches for 134 yards for the Raiders, Oakland was able to maneuver through the Minnesota defense with its passing game for parts of the game.

The Raiders finished the game with a total of 242 yards and two touchdowns through the air, which is something the Vikings will need to try and correct moving forward into Week 4.