Vikings-Cowboys

As a fan of the team, it's always been very satisfying to see the Minnesota Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys. Who's to know if that's due to the push-off in 1975, the fierce rivalry during the 1970s, or the Cowboys' sad claim to be "America's Team?" Beating the Cowboys isn't as great as beating a division foe but it's probably as close as a non-division win can get. The Vikings went down to Dallas and left with a 28-24 win. It was so satisfying.

In the days leading up to the Sunday game, the Cowboys declared that their defense was going to take "the wheels off the Vikings' running game." They didn't. The Vikings rushed for 153 yards. They gained 111 time-grinding yards in the second half. Dalvin Cook led the way with 97 yards on 26 carries. With 7:01 to go in the third quarter, the Vikings started the drive that turned the game. After Kirk Cousins tossed a 15-yard pass to Olabisi Johnson to convert a 3rd-and-6, the Vikings started their new set of downs on their own 44-yard line. From there, they ran the ball on 10 consecutive plays. The final two yards were covered by Cook for a touchdown on fourth down. The two-point conversion made it 28-24. It was a soul-taking, game-turning, 10-play sequence. The wheels of the Vikings running game remained in place. If any team took the wheels off the other's running game, it was the Vikings that took those wheels away. And they did so without the giant presence of Linval Joseph in the middle of the defensive line. Somehow, a steady rotation of Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Jaleel Johnson, Shamar Stephen, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Stephen Weatherly, and Armon Watts repeatedly bottled up the run. The Cowboys totaled 50 yards on 22 carries. All-everything running back Ezekiel Elliott gained 47 yards on 20 carries. It was his lowest total of his career in any game with at least 20 carries.

The Vikings took the run out of the Cowboys but they sure didn't take out the pass. The Vikings corners had a difficult time sticking to the Cowboys receivers throughout the game. Mike Hughes was forced into the starting lineup when a balky ankle put Trae Waynes on the sideline. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott repeatedly targeted Hughes.

Prescott's night:
28/46, 397 yards, 3 TDs, 101.4 rating.
Prescott did throw an interception but it was on the Hail Mary that ended the game.

Cowboys receivers:
Amari Cooper: 11 catches, 147 yards, TD
Randall Cobb: 6 catches, 106 yards, TD
Michael Gallup: 4 catches, 76 yards, TD
Impressive

It was a rough night for Hughes but I'm not too concerned with his play. His coverage was good. It just has to get better. A few of Cooper's catches were of the out of bounds, toe-tapping variety. Completions that when seen live looked impossible to complete. On replay, Cooper had his toes down and the ball secure. There was really nothing that Hughes could do. It was just great execution by Prescott and Cooper.

The pass defense is the biggest Vikings concern to come from this game. The corners did struggle but the best thing that can be done to help those corners moving forward is getting more pressure on the quarterback. Too often, Prescott had too long to find his receiver. Credit has to be given to the Cowboys' great offensive line. They kept Prescott safe and patient. The view of the Vikings corners would probably be a whole lot different if Hughes and Mackensie Alexander had managed to hold on to the Prescott passes that were in their hands. Each should've been intercepted and each probably would've been returned for touchdowns. The Vikings were two pairs of bad hands away from a 42-24 blow out of the Cowboys.

This was a very satisfying win.

Game Balls:
Dalvin Cook:
26 carries, 97 yards, TD
7 catches, 86 yards
183 yards from scrimmage

Kirk Cousins:
22/32, 222 yards, 2 TDs, 111.5 rating

Eric Kendricks:
6 tackles, 1 pass defensed
Kendricks gets the nod mostly for his fourth down deflection of the pass intended for Elliott that, at the time, seemed to seal the game. Thanks to some poor plays by the offense the defense ended up having a little more work to do.
Actually, about 7-9 game balls should go to the front 7-9 that took the wheels off the Cowboys run game.

The Vikings move to 7-3 and host the Denver Broncos next week.