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By Judd Zulgad |

Dalvin Cook suffers groin injury in Vikings’ loss, will undergo MRI on Monday

Vikings Seahawks Football
Minnesota Vikings’ Dalvin Cook (33) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook will undergo an MRI on Monday after suffering a groin injury early in the third quarter of the Vikings’ 27-26 loss in Seattle on Sunday night.

Cook, who had played a key role in the Vikings taking a 13-0 halftime lead, caught a pass from Kirk Cousins on Minnesota’s first offensive play of the second half and appeared to suffer the injury before he was hit. He went out of bounds after a 5-yard loss to the Vikings’ 10-yard line, grabbing the back of his left leg, and was attended to by the team’s athletic training staff. Cook went to the locker room for a brief period before returning. He participated in one more play and then spent the remainder of the game on the sideline.

On that play, Cook was used in play action when Cousins threw a third-quarter interception that led to the Seahawks going up 21-13. It was clear he wasn’t able to run at a normal speed. Cook had rushed for 65 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown in the opening half and caught four passes for 29 yards.

The Vikings turned to 2019 third-round pick Alexander Mattison as their lead running back. Mattison rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries as the Vikings rallied to hold a 26-21 lead late in the game. Mattison, however, was stopped on fourth-and-1 from the Seattle 6 late in the fourth quarter, and Russell Wilson led them on a game-winning drive that began with 1 minute, 57 seconds remaining.

Cook, who signed a five-year, $63 million contract extension before the season, entered Sunday leading the NFL in rushing with 424 yards on 75 carries with six touchdowns. He was coming off a game in Houston in which he tied his career-high with 27 rushing attempts and also caught two passes. Cook rushed for a career-high 181 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown in the Vikings’ loss to Tennessee on Sept. 27, before going for 130 yards on the ground with two scores against the Texans.

A healthy Cook is a key part of the Vikings’ offense. Unfortunately, Cook’s health often has been an issue since he was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft. He was lost after four games in his rookie season because of a torn left ACL, played in 11 games in his second season and last year missed two games and was limited in others because of a chest injury.