The Minnesota Vikings have been good at running the football in years past, but this season, they’ve gotten off to a slow start. If they want to open up the Play Action, they’ll need to get their run game going.

This season, the Vikings rank 22nd in the NFL with 98.0 rushing yards per game.

• 2019: 127.2 yards per game, 8th
• 2020: 142.7 yards per game, 5th
• 2021: 113.5 yards per game, 17th

It’s slowly trending in the wrong direction, but what’s more alarming about the Vikings’ run game are the opponents they’re facing. The teams they’ve met haven’t been good at stopping the run this year, but Minnesota has been unable to get much going on the ground.

• Green Bay Packers: 126.8 opponent yards per game, 22nd
• Philadelphia Eagles: 100.3 opponent yards per game, 9th
• Detroit Lions: 165.5 opponent yards per game, 30th
• New Orleans Saints: 124.8 opponent yards per game, 20th

Other than the Eagles, the Vikings have faced below-average teams at stopping the run. A big reason they’ve struggled is Dalvin Cook’s lack of burst. In the past, the former Florida State Seminole would hit the open hole for a big gain.

This season, we haven’t seen any of that, and it’s noticeable. It’s still early, but his longest run is 16 yards. Maybe the injuries have caught up to him, but he’s only 27 years old.

Alexander Mattison has looked good this season, but he hasn’t played a huge role on offense. You’d like to see his yards per carry a little higher, but he usually makes the correct play when he’s in the game.

Getting the run game going is vital for this team. Kirk Cousins thrives in Play Action, and with a limited run game, it’s hard for Minnesota to execute this to its fullest strength. Luckily, the Chicago Bears are the worst team at stopping the run this season, so the Vikings should be able to get that going this Sunday.

It’s still early in the year, but Minnesota has been unable to get their run game going, and it’s concerning. Hopefully, they’ll be able to get Cook and Mattison going against the worst rush defense in the league, and in turn, that’ll get the Play Action rolling.