MINNEAPOLIS — Dalvin Cook and Stefon Diggs dazzled, Kirk Cousins was cool and calm, and Dan Bailey booted footballs through the uprights on a night when the end zones seemed to have protective force fields.
The end result? A 19-9 win in a slugfest that moved Minnesota to 6-2 and dropped Washington to 1-7 at the 2019 season's midpoint.
Cook rushed 23 times for 98 yards and scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to put Minnesota up 13-6 with seven seconds left in the first half. The run was every bit as gritty as it was timely.
Cook added 73 yards on five receptions with a long of 31.
Diggs led Minnesota with seven catches for 143 yards with a long of 39 without partner-in-catches Adam Thielen, who missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Cousins, who was playing his former team for the first time, completed 23 of 26 passes for 285 yards and a passer rating of 112.3. He continued his torrid pace that defined the second quarter of Minnesota's season.
Across the field, Case Keenum played the Vikings for the first time since his magic run as a reserve-turned-rally-creator in 2017. Keenum did not play in the second half because of a concussion. He was 12-for-16 with 130 yards and a rating of 98.4, but lost a fumble during a sack by Danielle Hunter that set up Bailey's first field goal.
Oh yeah, and Adrian Peterson still has a lot left in the tank.
The 2007 first-round pick of the Vikings returned in opponents' colors for the second time and had quite the night. He moved from eighth to sixth on the NFL's all-time rushing list, passing Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson (now seventh) and Jerome Bettis (now eighth).
Peterson rushed 14 times for 76 yards with a long of 29. He caught two passes for 27 yards.
Rookie Dwayne Haskins, Jr., replaced Keenum. He was 3-for-5 with 33 yards and a costly interception that was nabbed by Anthony Harris.
Scoring summary
Q1, 5:20 remaining
Vikings 3, Redskins 0
Dan Bailey kicks a 50-yard field goal [8 plays, 14 yards, 3:37 time of possession]
Take it away: The Vikings were able to take advantage of taking over at the Washington 46 after a sack fumble forced by Danielle Hunter that was recovered by Shamar Stephen. Minnesota converted a fourth-and-1 but quickly stalled.
Q2, 14:00 remaining
Vikings 3, Redskins 3
Dustin Hopkins kicks a 21-yard field goal [13 plays, 72 yards, 6:20]
Advance and retreat: Washington bounced back with a hefty dose of rookie Terry McLaurin. The receiver caught passes for gains of 17 and 6 before drawing a 29-yard pass interference penalty on Xavier Rhodes that moved the ball to the Minnesota 2. Linval Joseph, however, recorded a tackle for loss on second down, and the Vikings forced an incompletion on third down.
Q2, 7:26 remaining
Vikings 6, Redskins 3
Bailey kicks a 29-yard field goal [10 plays, 64 yards, 6:34]
Boom before bust: The Vikings moved 52 yards in two plays with an 18-yard gain on a screen to Dalvin Cook and a quick slant to Stefon Diggs, who gained 26 of the 34 yards on the play after the catch. Minnesota gave up a pair of sacks inside the red zone, however.
Q2, 1:57 remaining
Vikings 6, Redskins 6
Hopkins kicks a 30-yard field goal [11 plays, 63 yards, 5:29]
Key stop: Linval Joseph stopped Washington's promising drive with a sack of Keenum for a loss of 7 and caused a fumbled that was recovered by the Redskins. Eric Kendricks followed with a pass breakup on third-and-12.
Q2, 0:07 remaining
Vikings 13, Redskins 6
Cook rushes for a 4-yard touchdown (Bailey kicks PAT) [7 plays, 75 yards, 1:50]
Recommend The Chef: The Vikings turned to Cook out of the backfield in the hurry-up offense, and he turned three receptions into 51 yards.
Q3, 8:33 remaining
Vikings 16, Redskins 9
Hopkins kicks a 43-yard field goal [6 plays, 50 yards, 3:22]
AP on the move: Adrian Peterson started the possession with a 21-yard reception and broke loose for a gain of 29 on the next snap to move to the Minnesota 25. Anthony Barr and Everson Griffen teamed up for a sack of Dwayne Haskins, Jr., on second-and-6.
Q4, 10:36 remaining
Vikings 19, Redskins 9
Bailey kicks a 40-yard field goal [12 plays, 59 yards, 6:23]
Drive starter: Cook rushed for 10 yards on the first play of the drive, and Irv Smith, Jr., followed with an 11-yard reception.
