Game Recap: Cowboys lose to Vikings, 34-26- Kurt Daniels, DallasCowboys.com
Dallas drops their second straight, getting upset by the Vikings.
Second Quarter
Getting the lead back didn’t take much time as Dallas was already on the Minnesota 1-yard line when the second quarter got underway. Prescott got things going with a 19-yard pass to Ryan Flournoy and a 30-yard connection to Lamb, but it was Malik Davis who picked up the final 12 yards. He did so on three carries, the last of which saw him bully his way up the middle and into the end zone for his second touchdown of the season.
The seesaw affair continued, and now it was Minnesota’s turn. The Vikings needed 10 plays to travel 75 yards for their next touchdown, but 58 of those came on a bomb to Jordan Addison, who got behind cornerback Caelen Carson. That eventually led to McCarthy completely faking out the Dallas defense and basically walking in untouched from the 1-yard line, the score 14-14.
And that was followed by Minnesota adding another three points on a 29-yard field goal, which came after Aubrey pushed a 51-yard attempt wide left on the Cowboys’ previous possession.
But with 1:48 remaining in the half, that was plenty of time for Prescott and company to give Aubrey another chance. The offense quickly worked its way down to the Minnesota 19-yard line, where the Cowboys kicker split the uprights on a 37-yard attempt to even things up at the break, 17-17.
Dallas Cowboys playoff odds crumble in 34-26 loss to Minnesota Vikings- Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
Dallas’ slim playoff hopes heading into this one are out the door.
The Offensive Issues: No Touchdowns? Good Luck, Boys
If you weren’t pulling your hair out watching the Cowboys’ offense tonight, I salute you, because that was as frustrating a performance as we have seen all season.
To start, the unit looked good. They capitalized on a second-play Quinnen Williams interception with a touchdown drive after a Brandon Aubrey fake field goal, and a relentless effort from Javonte Williams to get in the end zone.
They did punt on the next drive, but after that, they again scored 7, this time with Malik Davis.
At that point, it felt like the offense was good for at least a couple more touchdowns. That assumption could not have been more wrong.
After their second touchdown on their third drive, the Dallas offense kicked six field goals, making four and missing two, and turning it over on downs once.
In short, that just won’t get it down. Despite strong performances from Dak Prescott, Williams, and CeeDee Lamb, Brian Schottenheimer’s play-calling woes and an invisible game from George Pickens did the offense in.
Cowboys unofficially eliminate themselves from playoffs with dud loss to Vikings- K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
The late-season surge was fun while it lasted.
The Dallas Cowboys had a shot. It was a long shot, but it was a shot. With four games remaining in their season, the path to make the playoffs was murky, but obvious. The team had to win their final four games, running the table to move from 6-6-1 to 10-6-1, then get help from any one of several teams. Their Week 15 game was one of three remaining contests against teams under .500, and it was at home.
Yet despite the opportunity ahead of them, the Cowboys offense allowed the Minnesota Vikings defense to dictate to them, and the Dallas defense made yet another subpar quarterback have his best game of the season. Second-year QB JJ McCarthy had his best performance as a pro, and Brian Flores turned Brian Schottenheimer’s offense timid, as the Vikings won, 34-26.
Dallas had received a little help earlier on Sunday, with the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers all falling, but it makes little difference now. The Cowboys have been eliminated from the wild-card pursuit, and they would have to win their remaining three contests while the Philadelphia Eagles lose their remaining three contests.
The Cowboys allowed an opponent to score 30 points for the seventh time in 2025, tied for most in the NFL. The game started out well, with the defense intercepting McCarthy on his first pass of the game, as Donovan Wilson deflected a pass into the air with Quinnen Williams corralling it.
There seems to be a common trend amongst opposing QBs this season.
Minnesota put up their second-highest point total of the season, amassing 34 points against the Cowboys on the back of arguably McCarthy’s best performance yet as a pro. But that’s not just the doomsday perspective of a Dallas fan. NBC commentator Mike Tirico echoed that sentiment on the broadcast as well.
“This is the best JJ McCarthy has looked to start his career,” Tirico said.
Leave it to Eberflus and the Cowboys to make McCarthy look like a force in this league. Yes, his stats were impressive, as he bounced back from an interception on the opening drive to tally 266 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. But that’s not even the whole story.
McCarthy was largely able to sit in the pocket and pick apart Dallas’ weak secondary because the Cowboys didn’t get any pressure on the young player. He was sacked zero times and Dallas recorded just one quarterback hit in the contest. He might not have gotten a stain on his jersey.
Sometimes, players just have great nights. Too often, however, players have their only good showings, or their greatest nights, against Eberflus and Co. Tirico’s blunt truth in saying that should give the Cowboys every reason to part ways with Eberflus after the season. Maybe even sooner.
3 takeaways from Cowboys lackluster performance in Week 15 loss to Vikings- Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated
What was your takeaway from this one?
This defense needs a complete overhaul
Dallas deserves credit for building one of the best interior defensive lines in football with Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa. The problem is that every other position is a problem.
The Cowboys linebackers haven’t made many plays, their cornerbacks don’t stick with their guys, and safety help is clearly not an option in this defense.
Pointing the finger at Matt Eberflus is easy, and his scheme is a terrible fit for the players they have. That said, the Cowboys need a massive overhaul on this defense. It’s going to be hard to fix it in one offseason, but they have to get better, especially in the secondary.
See More:
