Tahir Whitehead
As mentioned above, Minnesota’s offense likes to use outside running plays and has been very successful thus far. In addition to Mauro, the other defender who will be tasked with slowing down Cook, is outside linebacker Tahir Whitehead.
Matchups like this one Sunday are part of the reason Oakland brought in the veteran last offseason.
Throughout his career, Whitehead has been known as a stout run defender and this year is no different as he currently ranks tied for second in tackles for loss among all linebackers. This trend will need to continue for the Raiders to have success on defense.
After spending the first four years of his career in Detroit, the former Lion is familiar with Vikings, and hopefully that helps bolster his performance.