Cook stars as Vikings down Redskins 19-9
Cousins beats old team, milestone for Peterson
>> MINNEAPOLIS: Dalvin Cook rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on Thursday to help Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins emerge a winner against his former NFL team with a 19-9 victory over the Washington Redskins.
Cook, who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage, also caught five passes for 73 yards and Dan Bailey converted four field goals in the Vikings’ fourth straight victory, which saw them improve to 6-2.
“Pleased with where we’re at,” Cousins said. “We’ve got to go out and prove it the second half of the season.”
Cousins connected on 23 of 26 passes for 285 yards without a turnover against the Redskins, who drafted him in 2012 and made him their full-time starter in 2015.
It was a disappointing return to Minnesota for Redskins quarterback Case Keenum — once the starting signal-caller for the Vikings.
He surrendered a fumble on a first-quarter sack and missed the second half after suffering a concussion.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins, the 15th overall selection in the 2019 draft, took over and made three of five passes for 33 yards and interception.
Haskins, who also replaced Keenum in a week four defeat at the New York Giants, was sacked twice.
Another former Vikings star, running back Adrian Peterson, enjoyed a milestone night with 14 carries for 76 yards that moved him into sixth place on the NFL’s career rushing list.
Peterson got loose for a 29-yard run in the third quarter that carried him past LaDainian Tomlinson (13,684 yards) into sixth place on the list.
Peterson had already passed Jerome Bettis (13,662 yards) earlier in the game.
Peterson, who received a standing ovation from Vikings fans who watched him star for 10 seasons in Minnesota, finished the game with 13,701 career rushing yards.
His next target is Curtis Martin, who’s fifth on the all-time list with 14,101.