MINNEAPOLIS — Dalvin Cook recorded the first 200-yard game of his career, setting the tone with a touchdown early and putting the game away with a 70-yard scamper in the fourth quarter as Minnesota defeated Detroit 34-20 on Sunday.
The Vikings claimed their first win of the season at U.S. Bank Stadium and improved to 3-5 on the year.
The Lions fell to 3-5.
Cook finished with 206 rushing yards and two scores on 22 carries. He added 46 yards on two receptions to top last week's career-best for scrimmage yards with 252.
He became just the third player in NFL history to post back-to-back games with 225-plus scrimmage yards and at least two scores.
Cook joined Deuce McAllister (Weeks 11-12, 2003) and Hall of Famer Jim Brown (Weeks 1-2, 1963) on that limited list.
Minnesota netted 487 yards of offense, averaging a whopping 8.9 yards per play, and never trailed.
That included 275 rushing yards and 212 net passing yards.
Kirk Cousins finished 13-of-20 passing for 220 yards and three scores, generating a passer rating of 141.7. He was 9-for-11 with 169 yards and an NFL-max passer rating of 158.3 in the first half.
Linebackers Eric Wilson and Eric Kendricks intercepted Matthew Stafford deep in Vikings territory. Stafford entered concussion protocol after a sack by Wilson and Armon Watts and was replaced by Chase Daniel.
Harrison Smith added an interception of Daniel, the 25th career pick by the safety.
Stafford was 16-for-18 with 123 yards and a score for a passer rating of 113.7 in the first half. He finished 23-of-32 passing for 211 yards with one score and the two interceptions for a passer rating of 73.8.
Daniel was 8-for-13 with 94 yards, a score, the interception. His passer rating was 77.1.
Cook's 206 yards on the ground marked the eighth game in Vikings history in which a player rushed for at least 200 yards.
296 Adrian Peterson vs. San Diego, 11/4/2007
224 Adrian Peterson @ Chicago, 10/14/2007
212 Adrian Peterson @ St. Louis, 12/16/2012
211 Adrian Peterson vs. Chicago, 12/1/2013
210 Adrian Peterson @ Green Bay, 12/2/2012
206 Dalvin Cook vs. Detroit, 11/8/2020
203 Adrian Peterson @ Oakland, 11/15/2015
200 Chuck Foreman @ Philadelphia, 10/24/76
It also topped Adrian Peterson's Vikings record of 171 rushing yards against Detroit. Now a Lion, Peterson finished with 29 yards on eight carries.
Scoring Summary
Q1, 10:39 remaining
Vikings 7, Lions 0
Dalvin Cook rushes for 5 yards (Dan Bailey kicks PAT) [5 plays, 67 yards, 2:32 time of possession]
Double trouble: In addition to three runs by Cook that totaled 23 yards, the Vikings got a pair of 22-yard receptions on their first possession. Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph on the first and Justin Jefferson on his second throw of the game.
Q1, 1:26 remaining
Vikings 13, Lions 0
Irv Smith, Jr., catches a 9-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (PAT wide right) [5 plays, 64 yards, 2:41 time of possession]
More balance: The Vikings again blended three runs by Cook for 25 yards with two more completions by Cousins, who connected with Adam Thielen on a 30-yarder and with Smith two plays later. It was Smith's first touchdown of 2020.
Q2, 8:21 remaining
Vikings 13, Lions 3
Matt Prater kicks a 23-yard field goal [15 plays, 77 yards, 8:05 time of possession]
Key TFL: The Lions moved the ball effectively until a third-and-goal from the 1. Jaleel Johnson surged through to tackle former Viking Adrian Peterson for a loss of 4.
Q2, 1:19 remaining
Vikings 13, Lions 10
Marvin Jones, Jr., catches a 15-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kicks PAT) [8 plays, 72 yards, 3:52 time of possession]
Firing on all cylinders: Stafford was 4-of-5 passing for 54 yards on the drive. He completed passes to four different teammates and gained 11-plus on three of his tosses.
Q2, 0:15 remaining
Vikings 20, Lions 10
Ameer Abdullah scores a 22-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Cousins (Bailey kicks PAT) [6 plays, 87 yards, 1:04 time of possession]
Cruise control: The Vikings gained a first down on four consecutive plays before the score. Minnesota converted second-and-5 with an 8-yard pass to Thielen, then quickly followed with a 10-yard toss to Rudolph. Cook turned an alert check-down from Cousins into a 29-yard gain and followed with a 13-yard run. The Vikings then turned to the former Lion, who benefitted from a key block by Garrett Bradbury and another one downfield by Rudolph on former Vikings safety Jayron Kearse.
Q3, 7:50 remaining
Vikings 27, Lions 10
Smith catches a 1-yard pass from Cousins (Bailey kicks PAT) [9 plays, 77 yards, 4:09 time of possession]
Conversions: The Vikings picked up a third-and-5 with a 35-yard pass to Jefferson and a third-and-6 when the rookie drew an 18-yard pass interference penalty that set up a first-and-goal at the Detroit 3-yard line. The Vikings were able to sell play-action with a fake handoff to Cook, who then executed a great block on former teammate Everson Griffen to allow the short toss to Smith.
Q4, 11:02 remaining
Vikings 27, Lions 13
Prater kicks a 45-yard field goal [8 plays, 42 yards, 3:33 time of possession]
Momentum halted: Eric Wilson and Armon Watts sacked Stafford for a loss of 4 on first-and-10 from the Minnesota 28. Stafford left the game and entered concussion protocol after the play. The Lions netted just 1 yard on the rest of the drive.
Q4, 10:42 remaining
Vikings 34, Lions 13
Cook rushes for 70 yards (Bailey kicks PAT) [1 play, 70 yards, 0:20 time of possession]
Q4, 6:55 remaining
Vikings 34, Lions 20
T.J. Hockenson catches a 2-yard pass from Chase Daniel (Prater kicks PAT) [1 play, 2 yards, 0:03 time of possession]
