HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- The matchup with the Vikings on Sunday seems less than ideal for the Texans' defense.
They have not been able to defend the run consistently through three games. No team has given up more yards on the ground than the Texans (565).
Now, they will see one of the NFL's most dynamic rushing attack, with the Vikings averaging a league-high 6.03 yards per carry.
Dalvin Cook, the Vikings' running back, enters Sunday's game ranked third among the league's rushers with 294 yards on the ground.
"He's very fast. He's very quick. He's got great vision. He's got all the things you're looking for out of a running back," Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said this week when asked about Cook. "He executes very well. That's what makes him good."
Watt said it's a challenge the Texans' defense looks forward to accepting, and they're obviously not wanting Cook to have a banner day against them.
But it's much easier said than done.
Cook is in his second year in the zone blocking running scheme constructed by former Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, who is now the Vikings' offensive coordinator.
Texans head coach Bill O'Brien called Cook one of the better backs in the league. Defending him will require setting the edge, playing good gap control and of course, tackling.
Cook has great feet, runs with power and is a nightmare to tackle in the open field.
If Cook gets into the secondary or gets around the edge, he has the speed to break away, and the Texans will have issues.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver understands defending the Vikings starts with Cook, first and foremost.
"He is a dynamic playmaker out of the backfield," Weaver said. "Then they do have two very good receivers in Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. So, we're going to do everything we can to obviously try to do better against the run game and try to limit Dalvin Cook and his rushing yardage. But then we've got to have ways to combat their big play threats. We're going to do that obviously, with trying to be multiple in what we're doing from a coverage standpoint, and then disguising and see if we can confuse the quarterback pre-snap."
