It wasn’t pretty, but the Vikings got the job done. Minnesota won its fourth game in a row on Thursday night, beating the Washington Redskins 19-9. Minnesota now moves up to 6-2 on the season and is right in the thick of the NFC North race.
The Vikings have thrived this season on running the football and playing solid defense, and both were on full display against Washington. Running back Dalvin Cook, who is the NFL leader in yards from scrimmage, ran for 98 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown.
Cook was also a threat in the receiving game, racking up five catches for 73 yards. As for the defense, Minnesota held the Redskins to nine points and forced two turnovers.
“It just shows how we can pull a win out. We’ve got a team that can go out and keep battling and keep fighting,” Cook said. “That shows you the toughness that’s in this group.”
Kirk Cousins, who coming in had put together three straight 300-plus yard and multi-touchdown performances, threw for 285 yards with no touchdowns on Thursday. He was, however, 23-for-26, good for a .885 completion percentage.
His main target for the game was wide receiver Stefon Diggs. With Adam Thielen missing the game due to injury, Diggs had seven catches for 143 yards. He and Cook combined for 216 of Cousins’ 285 yards on the game.
Offensive Struggles
The Redskins were held without a touchdown, as kicker Dustin Hopkins went three-for-three, with his longest kick good from 43 yards. Quarterback Case Keenum, who was making his return to Minnesota after leading them to the NFC Championship Game in 2018, went 12-for-16 for 130 yards before suffering a concussion and being knocked out of the game.
Rookie Dwayne Haskins took over in the second half, going 3-for-5 for 33 yards and a pick.
With Chris Thompson unavailable, former Vikings legend Adrian Peterson led Washington in rushing. The veteran running back had 76 yards on 14 carries, while also catching two passes for 27 yards.
Rookie Terry McLaurin led in receiving with four catches for 39 yards, all of which came with Keenum under center.
Not As Close
Despite the teams only being separated by 10 points, the Vikings dominated the game. Minnesota had 434 yards compared to 216 from Washington. They had more than double the passing yards and nearly double the receiving yards and had 13 more minutes in possession of the football. They were excellent in extending drives as well, going 8-for-15 on third down. The Redskins, in contrast, only went 2-for-7.
The Vikings are now preparing for a tough stretch on their schedule. Their next game is at Kansas City against the Chiefs, who may or may not have Patrick Mahomes back from injury at that point. They then travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys before returning home to host the Broncos.
The Redskins, who are now 1-7 and in last place in the NFC East, are in Buffalo against the Bills next Sunday before getting some rest on their Week 10 bye week.
