Kirk Cousins completed 20 of 30 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 24-16 win over the host Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings (5-1) won their fourth consecutive game and sealed the outcome when Dalvin Cook broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown run with 3:15 remaining.
The defeat snapped an eight-game home winning streak for the Dolphins (3-3).
Cook, a Miami native, played his first NFL game in his hometown and was held in check until his late scoring burst. He finished with 77 yards on 13 carries.
The Vikings’ defense dominated most of the game, recording six sacks, led by two each for Za’Darius Smith and Pat Jones.
For the third consecutive game, the Dolphins were forced to switch quarterbacks when starter Skylar Thompson was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter with a right thumb injury.
Teddy Bridgewater, who cleared concussion protocol on Saturday, followed Thompson and completed 23 of 34 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns, but he was intercepted twice and sacked five times. Thompson completed 7 of 13 passes for 89 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Dolphins’ defensive front was able to put pressure on Cousins at times, sacking him three times. Elandon Roberts led Miami’s defense with 1.5 sacks.
But Cousins did just enough offensively, throwing touchdown passes to Irv Smith Jr. and Adam Thielen.
Tyreek Hill led the Dolphins with 12 catches for 177 yards, and Jaylen Waddle finished with six catches for 129 yards.
Trailing 16-3 with a little over 14 minutes left in the fourth, Bridgewater led a seven-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki, who finished with season highs of six catches and 69 yards.
After forcing a punt, the Dolphins drove into Minnesota territory on the ensuing drive. But after Bridgewater hit Waddle over the middle for a first down, Waddle was stripped by Vikings safety Harrison Smith, and Minnesota’s Camryn Bynum made the fumble recovery.
Dolphins cornerback Nik Needham injured his ankle and was carted off in the second quarter. He did not return.
–Field Level Media
