Well, that was not fun. In a game where we expected the Dallas Cowboys to keep their playoff hopes alive, the team just wasn’t up to the task as they fell to the Minnesota Vikings 34-26. At first, things looked promising, but it didn’t take long for us to realize what was about to happen. This Cowboys team just didn’t have it in them to show that they belong in the playoff hunt. Here are ten thoughts on this very unsatisfying Sunday night loss to the Vikings.
1. A fast start
Brian Schottenheimer stated he wanted the team to come out fast, and that is exactly what they did. The defense got off the field right away after a batted pass dropped into Quinnen Williams’ arms. The offense took advantage and scored a touchdown on their first possession, although it took a little chicanery to extend the drive.
2. It’s a fake!
When it appeared that the Cowboys’ opening drive had stalled out, they were given new life thanks to a fake field goal. The play was orchestrated perfectly as holder Bryan Anger delivered an over-the-shoulder toss to Brandon Aubrey as he took off running to his right. The Cowboys’ All-Pro kicker picked up the yards they needed before sliding to the turf.
3. Defense couldn’t make stops
This late in the season, we just hoped the defense would be better. They’re not. It was terrible. Statistically, the yardage total wasn’t lucrative as the Vikings finished with just 327 total yards, the Cowboys’ third-lowest number of yards allowed this season. But when Minnesota pushed, the Cowboys’ defense couldn’t make stops and gave up points quickly. The Vikings scored four touchdowns on the night, and three of those drives took less than four minutes. It happened so fast, the Cowboys’ defense didn’t even know what hit them.
4. Offense underperformed
The defense will take the brunt of the blame as they normally do, but the offense shouldn’t get off scot-free. Despite putting together a handful of nice drives, the offense just couldn’t finish them. The Cowboys’ offense had ten total drives, and in nine of them, they were in Vikings territory; however, they only scored two touchdowns, while settling for four field goals. Three times they got squadoosh. They stalled because whenever they needed a play on third down, they continuously came up empty. The Cowboys were 2/12 on third down in this game.
5. A not-so-special special teams
Things didn’t go well on offense. Things didn’t go well on defense. And sadly, things didn’t go so well on special teams. After the successful fake field goal, it all went south. Aubrey uncharacteristically missed two field goals, which is always a bad sign that things are not going well. KaVontae Turpin let a punt bounce that rolled all the way back near the goal line. Even when Turpin had a nice return, they got flagged for a hold that negated the run. It was just bad on all three phases of the game.
6. Gotta be more aggressive
When the Cowboys started their opening drive with a fake field goal, this game looked like you’d see Schottenheimer being aggressive on fourth down. But several times when the Cowboys’ offense stalled out, he kept opting to trot Aubrey on the field. Normally, it would be hard to argue with his decisions, but the Cowboys’ defense makes this a precarious situation. Settling for field goals wasn’t going to cut it, and that should have made the head coach inclined to take more chances and leave the offense on the field.
7. Another no-show for Pickens
If you thought George Pickens’ five-catch, 37-yard performance last week was disappointing, you were in for an unpleasant encore performance this week. Against the Vikings, Pickens finished with only three catches for 33 yards. For some reason, the team’s exciting No. 2 receiver was a non-factor for the second-straight game. This offense was a lot more fun when they had two star receivers running around, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday night.
8. Third-string left tackle
Dak Prescott was on his heels all game. Credit Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores for bringing the heat. Unfortunately, the Cowboys couldn’t handle the pressure, leaving Dak to run for his life all game. The team was already without their starting left tackle, Tyler Guyton, but then lost backup tackle Nate Thomas after he suffered a shoulder injury. Third-stringer Hakeem Adeniji was called into action, but things went from bad to worse. Right away, Adeniji whiffed on a block and then got flagged for holding. The offensive line just couldn’t give Prescott enough time to operate.
9. Javonte pushes through
Despite missing most of the first half with a shoulder injury, Javonte Williams still reeled off 91 rushing yards on 15 carries, averaging over six yards a carry. During his absence, the team’s rushing game seemed lost as the duo of Malik Davis and Hunter Luepke wasn’t cutting it. Fortunately, Williams returned and picked up where he left off. His performance put him over 1,100 yards on the season, making him the Cowboys’ running back with the most rushing yards since 2019.
10. Bye bye playoffs
The Cowboys absolutely needed this game if they were to make one last gasp for the playoffs. With this devastating loss, the team’s playoff hopes are almost nil. They are eliminated from wild card contention, and if they are to win the NFC East, they’ll need to win their last three remaining games while Philadelphia loses all three of its remaining games.
