The Oakland Raiders were just what the Vikings needed to get back on track on Sunday as Minnesota marched to a 34-14 victory.
The offense got off to a nice start with Kirk Cousins connecting on all three of his passes, highlighted by Adam Thielen hauling in a 35-yard strike for the game’s first touchdown.
Minnesota then padded its lead with a touchdown from Dalvin Cook to open the second quarter. After Derek Carr was intercepted by Harrison Smith, putting the Vikings in the red zone, Thielen once again secured six points for his team with a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Oakland was shooting itself in the foot all game, as they committed five penalties for 50 yards in the first half alone and finished the day giving up 84 total yards on penalties. The Raiders’ first touchdown came in the second quarter on a flea flicker with Carr hitting J.J. Nelson for a 28-yard score.
Carr added a garbage time touchdown with 1:23 left in the game to make the score look less lopsided than it was.
On their first drive of the second half, the Vikings orchestrated a 10-play, 92 yard march that ended with rookie Alexander Mattison leaping into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.
Dan Bailey even drilled two field goals (50 yards, 24 yards) while ex-Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson missed his lone attempt from 51 yards, banging off the right upright.
Cook had another monster performance with 16 carries for 116 yards and his fourth touchdown of the year. The Vikings pounded the Raiders on the ground, racking up 213 rushing yards. Cook is the first player in Vikings history to rush for 100 yards in the first three games of a season.
Cousins, who needed a bounce-back performance after laying an egg at Lambeau Field last week, delivered a solid performance. He completed 15-of-21 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, he didn’t have any turnovers.
On defense, Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen and Eric Wlson all registering sacks on Carr.
With the win, the Vikings move to 2-1 on the season but have a tough matchup against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field next Sunday.
