A loss by the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night has kept the Dallas Cowboys in the playoff hunt, at least for one more week. This week, Dallas will look to bounce back from a loss in Detroit against another NFC North opponent, the Minnesota Vikings.
Before the two teams square off on Sunday night, here are three bold predictions for the matchup.
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1) Cowboys’ defense bounces back in a big way, forcing J.J. McCarthy into his fifth multi-interception game of the year
J.J. McCarthy’s NFL career has gotten off to a rough start. After being selected with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the former Michigan Wolverine suffered a knee injury in Minnesota’s preseason opener that forced him to miss the entirety of his rookie year.
Coming into this season, hopes were high for the 22-year-old quarterback. The Vikings took a big gamble, letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency after a career year in favor of their young quarterback. Unfortunately for both McCarthy and the Vikings, the move has not panned out well to this point.
After winning 14 games last season, the Vikings are just 5-8 this year, and a big reason for their lack of success has been the struggles of their offense. Minnesota ranks bottom seven in the NFL in points per game (19.6) and total yards (3,584), and inconsistent quarterback play from their young signal-caller has been a leading factor in the offense’s shortcomings.
On the season, McCarthy has completed an extremely uninspiring 56% of his passes to go with a 67.4 Passer Rating. The biggest flaw in McCarthy’s game at the NFL level has been his inability to protect the football. In just eight games, the 22-year-old has thrown 10 interceptions, including four multi-interception games. McCarthy also ranks in the top 15 in the league in danger plays (16) despite playing in just eight games.
While he did bounce back nicely last week against Washington, McCarthy has shown this season that he will give opposing defenses the football if they are able to put some pressure on him. After a putrid performance last Thursday against the Lions, if the Cowboys’ pass rush can show a pulse and get some consistent pressure on the young quarterback, there is a good chance he’ll turn the football over.
Dallas’ pass rush makes up for their poor outing last week, getting plenty of pressure on McCarthy. The 22-year-old struggles under pressure once again, throwing two interceptions in a game for the fifth time this season.
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2) Dallas’ run game gets back on track as Javonte Williams records his third 100-yard day of the season
It’s been a struggle for the Cowboys to run the football over their last three games. After some early-season success on the ground, Dallas has not been able to replicate that formula in their last three games against much stiffer competition.
Since Week 12, the Cowboys rank 20th in the NFL in Rush EPA (-0.109) and 29th in the NFL in Rush Success Rate (32.4%). Not surprisingly, during this three-game span, starting running back Javonte Williams has averaged just 3.9 Y/A, almost a full yard lower than his season-average of 4.8.
This week, Dallas’ run game has a chance to get back on track against a Vikings defense that has struggled to stop the run in recent weeks. Since Week 10, Minnesota is 17th in Defensive Rush EPA (-0.067) and 24th in Defensive Rush Success Rate (43.2%). Over this five-game span, the Vikings have surrendered an average of 134 rushing yards per game. Unsurprisingly, they are 1-4 during this stretch.
If the Cowboys want to win out, they’ll need their run game to get back on track. In a favorable matchup against the struggling Vikings, Dallas does just that on Sunday night as Javonte Williams records his third 100-yard game of the year.
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3) Ryan Flournoy builds off his big performance, recording 70+ receiving yards and scoring his fourth-career touchdown
One positive to come out of last week’s loss was the breakout performance by Ryan Flournoy. The 26-year-old receiver stepped up in a big way after CeeDee Lamb left with a concussion, putting together a career day.
In the contest, Flournoy caught nine passes for a game-high 115 receiving yards to go with the third touchdown of his NFL career. Flournoy’s development has been an under-the-radar storyline to come out of this season, and it looks like the former sixth-round pick is starting to find his footing in the NFL.
This week, after his big day in Detroit, the Cowboys will continue to find ways to get Flournoy involved on offense. The wideout continues his upward trajectory, recording 70+ receiving yards and scoring touchdowns in back-to-back weeks for the first time in his career.
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