Falcons running back Devonta Freeman and Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, both played at Miami Central High and Florida State. Both teams will count on their running back to establish the rushing attack and the player with the most productivity will likely lead his team to victory. For the Falcons, Freeman, who’s trying to rebound from an injury-plagued, two-game season, is on the hot seat.
“That would be a pretty pair to have, those two guys,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “Devonta is a very explosive runner. He’s a lot like Dalvin in a lot of ways. He’s very explosive. He’s a hard runner. He’s good in protection and he does a really nice job on his routes and catching the ball.”
Freeman, who’s coming back from knee/groin injuries and sports hernia surgery, played sparingly in the exhibition season. Cook also battled injuries, but played in 11 games last season.
“He can put his foot in the ground and cut just like Free does,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “I think that’s what makes tackling a running back really challenging. You think you have the right leverage on someone and they put their foot in the ground and explode into another direction.”
Cook had an 85-yard touchdown run in the Vikings’ dress rehearsal exhibition game against the Cardinals on Aug. 24.
“Both of them are difficult to tackle, especially when they get to the next level,” Quinn said. “You saw it in the (exhibition) season, you know Cook has the speed to go the distance on the long runs. He’s a handful.”
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