The Dallas Cowboys host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football this week as they attempt to keep their season alive. The Vikings had been on a four-game losing skid before ending that streak with a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders last week. The Cowboys, on the other hand, had a three-game winning streak snapped as they were outdueled by the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys currently have a three-game winning streak going against the Vikings, and would love to make it four. Here are five things to watch under the AT&T lights on Sunday night.
1. Start fast
While it’s satisfying to watch the Cowboys dig themselves out of a hole, it would be more enjoyable if they could just start off with the lead. But that is not how this team operates, as they are notorious for falling behind in games. Would you believe the Cowboys have trailed at some point in the first half in every single game this year? That’s crazy. Even in their three blowout wins this season against the Jets, Commanders, and Raiders, they trailed at some point in the first quarter.
Even when the Cowboys finally get their act together, slow starts lead to close games, and they just don’t have the margin to handle coming up short in any more games. They must avoid that by coming out fast, getting the lead, and keeping it. The Vikings have a good defense and have the ability to keep this contest close, and that could be the recipe for disappointment for a Cowboys’ team that can’t afford to let one get away.
2. Can’t let J.J. be Dyn-o-mite!
The 2024 NFL Draft was a great draft for quarterbacks. Six quarterbacks were taken within the first 12 picks. That has never happened before. Many of those teams are enjoying their QB selection as most of them have either already led their team to the postseason or will do so this year. However, the Vikings are not one of those teams. J.J. McCarthy was selected 1oth overall last year, two picks before Bo Nix. McCarthy missed all of last year with a knee injury and started this season by throwing interceptions in each of his first six games of his pro career. That’s not ideal.
The good news for McCarthy is that he had his best game last week against the Commanders, where he threw three touchdowns and didn’t have a pick for the first time in his career. The Cowboys have served as a good “get right” game for many quarterbacks this season. A couple of fellow 2024 first-round QBs, Caleb Williams and Bo Nix, have had big games against Dallas. Even Jacoby Brissett and Russell Wilson found ways to exploit their defense. McCarthy will beat himself if you give him enough opportunities, but a poor showing by the Cowboys’ defense could allow this young quarterback to build on the solid showing he had last week.
3. They’re coming after Dak
Very few defensive coordinators love to bring the heat as much as Vikings DC Brian Flores. The Minnesota defense has blitzed at a rate of 49.2% this season, the highest in the league, and it’s not even close. The Vikings have a multitude of quality pass rushers, and you better believe Flores will keep the Cowboys guessing as they attempt to trip up Dak Prescott and company.
Despite the frequency of the blitz, the Vikings aren’t all that effective as they are middle of the road in generating pressure when blitzing. Not just that, but Prescott has been dicing up blitzes all season. Dak has thrown for 1,123 yards when blitzed this season. That is the third-most in the league this year. Expect the Vikings to come after Prescott whenever they get the chance, and hopefully, when they do, Dak can continue to punish defenses.
4. Attack of the clones
If you made a Spiderman meme of running backs on the same team, it would be of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. They are both physical runners who attack north and south. They each average about 10 carries a game and give you about 4.5 yards per rushing attempt. When one spells the other, you won’t even notice, as the Vikings will just keep pounding the rock between the tackles and hope to find a crease.
Fortunately, the Cowboys’ defense is much more equipped to handle this type of rushing attack these days. The interior defensive line of Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa should redirect traffic laterally and allow other defenders to chase them down. Keeping the Vikings RB clones from gaining much traction will put more pressure on McCarthy, and the more that happens, the better the Cowboys’ chances.
5. Just do the basics
The frustrating thing about the Cowboys’ season is that they are doing what losing teams do. Their defense struggles to get off the field on third down, and they give up way too many touchdowns in the red zone. When it comes to the turnover differential or penalties, the Cowboys are fourth-worst in the league in both areas. Even the offense, which is the strength of the team, is middle of the road in both red zone scoring and converting on fourth down. They’re just not playing like winners.
If the Cowboys want to be a winning football team, then they need to be better in these basic areas. And unlike what they showed us last week against the Detroit Lions, they must do better on special teams so they don’t have such a field position disadvantage. All of these things culminate into a finished product, and the Cowboys need to distance themselves from these mishaps if they expect to make a run at the postseason.
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