Ezekiel Elliott doesn't feel the need to declare himself the best running back in the NFL with the two-time rushing champion and the Dallas
Cowboys set to face current leader Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings.Two
months after becoming the highest-paid back by ending a preseason-long holdout
and signing a $90 million extension
Adrian Peterson Jersey , Elliott is sixth in the rushing race with 741 yards, 153 behind Cook in one fewer game.Elliott is also on one of his best
rolls, looking to match a career best with a fourth straight 100-yard game at
home against the Vikings (6-3) on Sunday night, the third straight prime-time
game for the Cowboys (5-3)."I think there have been running backs that have
played better this year," Elliott said.And that suggestion doesn't bother a
two-time Pro Bowler who was an All-Pro as a rookie in 2016."It just kind of adds
a little fuel to the fire," said Elliott, whose 4,789 yards rushing since
entering the league are almost 1,000 yards more than anyone else. "I've got some
more work to do, that's all."Cook needs 106 yards to become Minnesota's first
1,000-yard rusher since Adrian Peterson in 2015, when Peterson won the last of
his three rushing titles for the Vikings."Any time you can be mentioned with a
guy like that is awesome," said Cook, who is second in the NFL to Christian
McCaffrey with 1,232 scrimmage yards. "It's a guy that's highly recommended in
this organization and I'm just proud of being in the conversation."But for
Cook
John Randle Jersey , the conversation is really more about Elliott. Born 23 days after the former Ohio State star in the summer of 1995, Cook came out of
Florida State a year later than Elliott and was drafted in the second round.So
next summer, Cook could be going into the final year of his contract because
Minnesota doesn't have a fifth-year option on him. The Cowboys had that with
Elliott, the fourth overall pick in 2016, so there were two years left on his
contract when he held out this past summer."Everybody's different," Cook said.
"Zeke's been putting in the work since Day One since he walked in. I just think
that's what it all comes back to. Just putting in the work and not looking for a
payday. Just looking to get wins and looking to do good things for the
organization and it'll pay itself off."To Cook's point, the first meeting
between the teams since Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott were rookie
sensations in 2016 is important in what is shaping up to be a difficult playoff
chase in the NFC.The defending NFC East champion Cowboys lead Philadelphia by
half a game. The Vikings trail Green Bay by a game in the NFC North and
currently hold the last playoff spot in the conference. Plus, the offenses and
defenses of both teams are all ranked in the top 10."This is the toughest test
we've had as an offense going against this defense," said Dallas tight end Jason
Witten, back for a club record 16th season after a year in retirement as a
broadcaster. "So I think it would be foolish to be thinking about something down
the road."QB REBOOTPrescott and Minnesota's Kirk Cousins see other for the first
time since they were division rivals when Cousins was in Washington. Prescott
was 4-0 in those meetings his first two seasons, and Cousins is 1-6 in his
career against the Cowboys.ANOTHER TOUGH TESTIn their last 10 road games against
teams with a winning record at the time, the Vikings are 0-9-1. Their last such
victory was at Atlanta on Dec. 3, 2017, before Cousins arrived.The lack of
big-game wins has been a knock on the eighth-year quarterback, including last
week's 26-23 loss to Kansas City when the Chiefs were without Patrick Mahomes.
Beating Dallas
Alan Page Jersey , in prime time no less, would be a big lift for more than just Minnesota's postseason bid."If you're going to be a playoff team, you have
to win tough games in tough environments at some point," Cousins said.
"Otherwise you're probably not getting into the playoffs."TOUCH-AND-GO COOPERTop
Dallas receiver Amari Cooper isn't sure he'll be able to play after aggravating
a knee injury he sustained in practice the week before Monday's 37-18 win at the
Giants. Cooper left during the first series, but came back to catch a 45-yard
touchdown.TAKING CAREThe Vikings haven't allowed any points off turnovers in
five straight games. Cousins has gone three straight games without a turnover,
matching the longest streak of his career since he became a full-time starter
with the Redskins in 2015. We are about an hour away from kickoff in
Philadelphia between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles. This is
a pretty significant game for both teams, but it sure would be nice if the
Vikings could find a way to pull this one out, wouldn’t it?Here is everything
you need to know about today’s contest.Time: Sunday, 7 October, 3:25 PM Central
timeLocation: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaTelevision
coverage: KSTP-9 in the Twin Cities, and FOX affiliates across the country that
you can see on the maps right hereRadio coverage: Vikings Radio Network, Sirius
Channel 127, XM Channel 225 (PHI feed)Line: Philadelphia -3
Randy Moss Jersey , over/under 48.5Prediction: Eagles 31, Vikings 27Three keys1) Try actually playing defense - The Minnesota defense has been getting
torched up and down the field against pretty much every team they’ve played this
season. There’s too much talent on this defense for them to continue to be this
bad, so they need to figure out their issues and start stopping opposing
offenses. If they get into a shootout with the Eagles, I’m not sure if they can
keep up.2) Limit mistakes - The Vikings need to win the turnover battle this
week to have any chance of winning. They were very good at taking care of the
football in their win over San Francisco, and less so in every game since then.
When you’re facing a team the quality of the Eagles, there’s no reason to give
them extra opportunities, so Kirk Cousins needs to continue making good
decisions and everyone needs to ensure they hold on to the football.3) Keep your
focus - I’m sure the Vikings have spent their week being reminded of the last
time they played in this stadium. They’re still also dealing with one of their
teammates fighting a significant issue. However, they need to do what they can
to put all of that in the rear view mirror and concentrate on the task at hand.
We can’t see the same sorts of lapses that have plagued this team the past
couple of weeks if they want to win this game and turn their season around.Know
the Foe: Bleeding Green NationTwitter: Right hereFaceBook:
www.facebook.com/TheDailyNorsemanTweets by DailyNorseman As usual, we will have
a new Open Thread at the start of each quarter, ladies and gentlemen, so keep
your eyes peeled for that. With that, enjoy the game,
folks!SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!
