Game balls: Vikings vs. Steelers
It was the Dalvin Cook show Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
DALVIN COOK
Vikings running back
Cook returned to the lineup after missing one game with a shoulder injury and was greeted by gaping running lanes from the Pittsburgh defense. He ran for a team-record 153 yards in the first half, and finished with 205 rushing yards and two TDs.
HARRISON SMITH
Vikings safety
He broke up what could have been the game-tying score for the Steelers on the game's final play, knocking the ball from tight end Pat Freiermuth's hands in the end zone. Smith also had one of the Vikings' five sacks of Ben Roethlisberger.
EZRA CLEVELAND
Vikings guard
The entire offensive line deserves kudos for rebounding from a difficult game against Detroit. The Vikings stayed the shuffled lineup from Sunday, but this time they didn't allow a sack and opened big holes for Cook. Cleveland in particular had key blocks on some of Cook's big runs.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
