Minnesota Vikings: Studs and duds from Week 4 vs. Texans

Stud: Running game

The brightest spot for Minnesota in Week 4 was the efforts from its running game to set the tone for the offense in the game. Led by running back Dalvin Cook out of the backfield, the Vikings ran the ball early and often against the Texans, who feature one of the worst run defenses in the NFL so far this season.

As a complete unit, Minnesota finished with a total of 40 rushing attempts compared to airing out the ball 22 times, ending the game with a compiled total of 162 yards and three touchdowns.

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Cook led those efforts, finishing with a team-best mark of 130 yards and two touchdowns on 27 rush attempts. Outside of Cook, Alexander Mattison had a nice showing with seven carries for 17 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

The run game is such a big component to Minnesota offense, both with opening the passing attack and to set the tone on that side of the ball. That’s something that needs to continue moving forward.

Dud: Harrison Smith’s early exit

Harrison Smith, who is one of the best players for Minnesota on the defensive side of the ball, was ejected in the first half of the contest after being penalized on a helmet-to-helmet hit on a Texans wide receiver.

That resulted in the safety being thrown out of the game and leaving a big hole in the back end of the defense for the Vikings. From that point on, Minnesota noticeably struggled a bit more on that side of the line of scrimmage which allowed Houston to battle back into the game a bit.