Minnesota Vikings: 3 X-factors to beating Saints in Wild Card Round

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images /
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Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images /

3. Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook has been and will continue to be a key piece to the Minnesota offense and especially what it is able to accomplish on the ground within the running game throughout the course of a contest.

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On Sunday afternoon against the Saints, Cook will once again be a focal point for the Vikings and their gameplan on the road in the first round of the playoffs in New Orleans, and the young running back is going to have to rise up to the occasion and step up to help lead his team.

In the final two games of the regular season, Cook ended up sitting out those two contests while recovering from a chest and shoulder injury that limited him throughout the final few games of the regular season schedule.

While it looks like Cook will be healthy enough and good to go for Minnesota this weekend while returning to the field for the purple and gold, look for him to get a heavy dose of action throughout the playoff showdown out of the backfield.

Going into the postseason game against the Saints, Cook finished the 2019 campaign with a career-best 1,135 rushing yards and a total of 13 touchdowns out of the backfield on 250 rushing attempts. He also managed to haul in a career-high 53 receptions in the passing game, finishing with a total of 519 yards receiving through the air.

Cook will once again be a big factor and might just be the biggest x-factor for the Vikings on the offensive side of the ball as they try to go on the road and take down the Saints in the NFC Wild Card Game on Sunday afternoon in New Orleans.