NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Cowboys free-falling, Bills stay perfect

They finally got themselves a win. After three-straight losses to start the season, the Minnesota Vikings moved to 1-3 as they knocked off the Houston Texans by a score of 31-23. It was a close game and the defense continued to have their issues but the offense die enough to secure the first W.

And they did so with a familiar strategy — control the game with the run. That was what Adam Patrick of The Viking Age saw as the difference, saying a heavy-dose of Dalvin Cook was the difference.

"“To get their victory, the Vikings utilized a heavy dose of running back Dalvin Cook. A week after setting a new single-game career-high in rushing yards, Cook carried the ball 27 times and racked up a total of 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.” — Patrick, The Viking Age"

Minnesota also continued to have a huge output from rookie Justin Jefferson. He was able to get deep a couple of times en route to 103 yards on four receptions. Adam Thielen added another 114 yards on eight catches.

It was a true team effort as well as the defense made enough plays on their side. Eric Kendricks led the way with 12 tackles and Yannick Ngakoue added five tackles and a sack in the big win. They’re hopeful this can be the start of something good.