The Cowboys and Vikings are going to go head to head in a crucial NFC matchup on Halloween night. If the 2021 NFL season ended today (before the two teams meet on “Sunday Night Football”.) both the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings would make the playoffs. For most Cowboys fans that’s no surprise as many expected a return to prominence. The Cowboys are being led by a high-flying offense, behind Dak Prescott’s MVP-level play, and a defense getting an added boost from the reincarnation of Dieon Sanders in second years standout Trevon Diggs. What many Cowboys fans have not taken notice of, is that the Minnesota Vikings are quietly making a case for themselves as a viable contender after some tough luck to start the season. The Vikings first two games were painful losses. The first was a result of a fumble in overtime against a very good Bengals team. Then they followed that up with a missed field goal at the end of regulation against the 6-1 Cardinals. The 3-3 Vikings have lost their games by a total of only 11 points, and all of those losses were against teams currently in playoff position themselves.
Do the upstart Vikings have enough momentum to carry them to victory at home against a red hot Dallas Cowboys team? Or, is Or is that giving too much credit to a Minnesota team whose three wins have come against teams with a combined record of 5-16? With Dak Prescott less than 100% and his status for tonight’s game unknown, the Vikings are now considered the betting favourites and that has at least some Cowboys fans concerned.
Overall, the Cowboys hold a 17-15 all-time lead over the Vikings, with that narrow edge coming from Dallas’ 3-1 record over the past 10 years. America’s Team has even won two straight at Minnesota, including last year’s 31-28 win in November. Here are three things to watch for in this Cowboys and Vikings matchup that might determine how this game might play out.
1. WILL DAK PRESCOTT PLAY?
That’s been the question surrounding the Cowboys for nearly two weeks since Prescott injured his calf on the final play of an overtime win against the Patriots. The star quarterback emerged from the game in a walking boot and told reporters “it came down funny” after throwing the game winning touchdown pass in overtime. Ever since that game and all through the bye week leading up to tonight, the Dak storyline has garnered most of the attention. Speculation over “if he will play”, “if he will he be 100%”, “if he should he play”, and “if we can trust Cooper Rush” have dominated the headlines and conversations surrounding this game. Even with the bye week, it’s clear Prescott is not fully healed. Limited in practice all week, he’s officially listed as questionable as both team and player believe the calf strain is connected to his devastating ankle injury last year. The Cowboys are in play early for the #1 seed in the NFC but with a 3.5 game lead in an already depleted NFC East, there is an argument that the risk of further injury, outweighs the potential reward winning 1 game. If Prescott can’t go, the task of taking on the Vikinigs falls on Cooper Rush. Rush, an undrafted fifth-year pro out of Central Michigan, has never started a game in the NFL and has three career NFL passes attempts to his name. That changes the dynamic of the Cowboys’ top-ranked offense and brings back past nightmares of life without Prescott. The team went 4-7 after he got hurt in 2020. Even with all the weapons they do have, from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to emerging running back threat Tony Pollard, you can’t run this well-oiled machine of an offense with an unproven quarterback. The offense without Prescott is a giant unknown. It may allow the Vikings to focus heavily on shutting down Dallas’ two-pronged rushing attack which could ease the burden place on their 26th-ranked rushing defense.
2. CAN THE VIKINGS OFFENSE KEEP CLICKING?
Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Adam Thielen, and running back Dalvin Cook all had season-best games against the Panthers in Week 6. Cousins threw for a season-high 373 yards with three touchdowns and didn’t have an interception or take a sack. Thielen, who had a sluggish start this year, caught 11 balls for 126 yards and a touchdown despite being bothered with a foot injury. the Vikings have a strong receiving corps led by Thielen and Justin Jefferson but it’s Dalvin Cook who changes the dynamic of this offense. His 140 rushing yards on a whopping 29 carries gave the Vikings a season-high 37:38 time of possession in their 34-28 overtime in Carolina. After being hobbled with a bad ankle early in the year, the Week 7 bye allowed Cook to heal up . He wasn’t even on the injury report heading into this weekend’s matchup. Backup Alexander Mattison also appears to be in better shape as well after dealing with a bum shoulder. That’s important because this Minnesota offense is dynamic when everyone is healthy. Quietly, the Vikings sit fifth in the league in total yards, top 10 in both rushing and passing offense while committing just five turnovers in six games. Cousins has kept this team on track early on, preventing panic after some early losses and this veteran squad is reaping the rewards. Trevon Diggs, battling an ankle injury, will be hard-pressed to add to his league-leading seven interceptions in this game.
3. WHICH TEAM CAN FIX THEIR SHAKY KICKING GAME?
Perhaps the biggest wildcard, in a game that could shape up to be an offensive explosion, is special teams. Vikings kicker Greg Joseph, who was out of the league in 2020, has been shaky after returning in 2021 and winning the starting job. Besides the crucial missed field goal at the end of the Cardinals game, he botched an extra point that could have sent the game into overtime. Against Detroit two weeks ago, Joseph had to redeem himself after missing a 49-yard field goal with 3:22 left in the game. In the past two weeks alone he’s had three misses and his limited experience makes him a concern for Vikings fans. The Cowboys veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein can run circles around Joseph in terms of experience, but he too has had his share of troubles in what is turning out to be a tough year for kickers. His two missed field goals were the difference in the season opener against the Buccaneers. He also missed another one against the Patriots that would have given the Cowboys a fourth-quarter lead at the time.
FINAL ANALYSIS
It’s a hard game to handicap with so much riding on whether Prescott plays; and, if so, how effective he will be under center. The recipe is there for a Minnesota upset that puts the Vikings back on the map in the NFC, eking ahead of other teams vying for that final wild-card slot. But the Cowboys appear to have a different feel about them this year. Even if Rush fills in at QB, there are enough offensive pieces here for them to outscore their Halloween hosts tonight.