Kevin O'Connell

Head coach Kevin O'Connell referred to Cam Akers, acquired Sept. 20 via trade from the Rams, as complementing starter Alexander Mattison, who still dominated the playing time and workload with 98 yards from scrimmage. But O'Connell envisions a role for both.

"Seeing how [Akers] complements Alex," O'Connell said after the game, "when those guys can both stay fresh and be maximizing their opportunities, it was exciting to see that [Sunday]. ... Cam is always going to have real firm, solid finish [to runs] just like Alex does, where yards after contact should be a good number for him."

In his Vikings debut, Akers was effective with 51 yards on seven touches, the story pointed out. He flashed acceleration and power, while benefiting from the season's best blocking and perhaps the lightest competition to date, the story added. Akers had a three-down role, taking every snap in a 10-play drive in the second quarter. But as the story also said, Mattison still controlled most of the playing time and since the trade has carried 37 times for 188 yards (5.08 YPC) in two games, vs. the first two games where he ran 19 times for 62 yards.