The Minnesota Vikings played like a team that was emotionally drained from an incredible game against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, as they lost to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 40-3.
This was ugly from the start. On the third play from scrimmage, Micah Parsons beat Christian Darrisaw for a strip sack that ended in a field goal for the Cowboys. The pass rush for the Cowboys generated seven sacks, including two for both Parsons and Dorrance Armstrong.
With the Cowboys pass rush generating a lot of pressure, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins had his worst game of the season. He completed 12-23 for 105 yards. He was flustered consistently and the Vikings didn’t do nearly enough to adjust to the excellent pass rush. There weren’t enough short-route concepts or hot routes to counter what the Cowboys were doing to get home.
The Vikings were unable to get anything going on offense all day. The amassed just 183 yards while the defense allowed 458 to the Cowboys.
On the offensive side, the Cowboys were tremendous. Dak Prescott was dominant and calm under pressure. He only had three incompletions on 25 attempts for 276 yards and two touchdowns.
The real star of the game was Tony Pollard. The backup running back to Ezekiel Elliott is thought to be the best back for Dallas and he showed why some have that opinion by having a tremendous game. He caught six catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard catch on a wheel route early in the third quarter that essentially put the game away, giving the Cowboys a 27-point lead. He also ran for 80 yards on 15 carries.
You can’t beat around the bush here. The Cowboys came into U.S. Bank Stadium and absolutely destroyed the Vikings and were relentless in doing so. The best thing for the Vikings is that they get the New England Patriots in just four days so they can get the bitter taste out of their mouth quickly.
