Vikings’ Murray finds groove
Even though he was signed to help the Vikings replace Adrian Peterson, former Raiders running back Latavius Murray has been behind nearly from the day he set foot in Minnesota.
Plowing through the Ravens as he did Sunday should help him catch up in a hurry.
Murray rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and Kai Forbath kicked six field goals to lift Minnesota to a 24-16 victory over visiting Baltimore.
After making the decision to part ways with the face of the franchise, the Vikings signed Murray from the Raiders to help fill the void. But ankle surgery kept him out of the entire offseason program, all of training camp and most of the preseason, keeping him buried on the depth chart behind Dalvin Cook, who was lost for the season with a knee injury Oct. 1, and Jerick McKinnon.
“I just think it was a matter of me just trying to find my rhythm, try to get a groove going,” said Murray, who averaged 6.3 yards per carry Sunday. “I said eventually I know I would have some success. I knew I had to continue to keep doing what I do and continue to keep working, and hopefully like today, those big runs will pop.”
Forbath made kicks of 52, 51, 43, 43, 34 and 32 yards to back another suffocating defensive effort from the Vikings (5-2). Minnesota sacked Joe Flacco five times and allowed 208 yards. Everson Griffen had two sacks.
Justin Tucker kicked three field goals for the Ravens (3-4), including a 57-yarder in the first half. The nine combined field goals tied an NFL record for most in a game.
Murray was off to a slow start this season with 97 yards rushing through the first six games, but he burst through a hole in the third quarter, made a cut and surged to the end zone to put the Vikings up 18-6.
“It’s good to see him going,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “It adds a dimension on the offense with a guy like Jerick and a guy like him.”