Vikings

INSTANT REACTION: Vikings Win 28-24 Thriller in Dallas

Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons (USA Today Sports)
By Sam Ekstrom - November 10, 2019

Get Sam Ekstrom’s first take on the Vikings’ stunning road victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

BIG PICTURE

What looked like it could be a devastating collapse turned into an exhilarating, gutty victory. A Minnesota defense getting gashed held on fourth down in their own red zone and staved off a last-ditch Hail Mary to beat the Cowboys 28-24 after blowing a 14-0 lead.

Kirk Cousins was brilliant, Dalvin Cook was outstanding, and the defense? Well, it came up big after a dismal game for the most part.

HOW WAS THE OFFENSE?

Cousins had performed well at AT&T Stadium in the past, and Sunday night was no exception. He was sharper than last week at Kansas City and made some key throws to help the Vikings convert 8 of 14 on third downs. But the real story became the running game, which took over on a go-ahead drive to end the third quarter. Minnesota ran it 10 times in a row before scoring a touchdown on fourth and goal. On their next drive they grinded over five minutes and gave the Cowboys a 95-yard field to navigate, trailing 28-24.

Give props to Kevin Stefanski, whose early-game playcalling perfectly followed the script to get the Vikings early touchdowns; and for sticking with the run when it was clear Dallas was overmatched. Once again, the Vikings’ rushing attack exploded in the second half to get Dalvin Cook over 100 yards (before he lost yardage on their final drive).

This was a big-boy offensive performance against a playoff team.

HOW WAS THE DEFENSE?

A brutal performance by the secondary. To some degree, there wasn’t much they could do as Cowboys receivers caught everything in their zip code. But Trae Waynes’ injury absence loomed larger than expected with Mike Hughes defending Amari Cooper. The star receiver worked the sidelines with comebacks early on, then turned into a toe-tap scholar on three plays where Dak Prescott improvised on rollouts to his right. The quarterback carved up the Vikings on third down, and Minnesota failed to get much pressure on Dallas’s elusive passer, who put on a show. Hughes was picked on throughout the night, including on Dallas’s final drive, which ended on a dramatic fourth down pass for Ezekiel Elliott that Eric Kendricks broke up.

The Cowboys were unstoppable in the passing game with 397 yards, yet virtually no rushing attack. Elliott was a non-factor — his longest run was six yards — but it didn’t seem to faze Prescott, who made throws from all angles and platforms, in and out of the pocket. While the run defense should be credited, the pass coverage was spotty for the final three quarters.

Minnesota bent heavily against an elite offense. That’s a concern. It was their offense that largely carried them to a massive road win.

FIRST HALF BIG PLAYS

The first half was a marvel to watch with skill players showing off for both teams.

Kyle Rudolph started the scoring with a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone on a risky throw by Cousins that paid off.

It was Rudolph’s first of two one-yard touchdowns in the first quarter.

Then the Cowboys got going. Dak Prescott was given 3.25 seconds to throw on average in the first half — a Week 10-leading time — and his receivers gave him plenty of help as he made plays outside the pocket. Amari Cooper made five catches for 66 yards, including a 3rd and 12 conversion along the sideline that extended Dallas’s first scoring drive and resulted in a 25-yard touchdown pass to Michael Gallup.

Dallas continued converting third downs at an alarming clip against the usually-stout Vikings defense that was missing Linval Joseph and Trae Waynes. The Cowboys came through with a second 3rd and 12 on their next drive, which ended on Randall Cobb’s mystifying catch in the back of the end zone. They went 7 of 10 on third downs in the first half.

Then it was Stefon Diggs’ turn to make the adjustment on Cousins’ fade, making a jaw-dropping one-handed catch that was initially ruled incomplete. It propelled Minnesota to a field goal as the first half expired to give them a 17-14 advantage at the break.

SNEAKY X-FACTOR

C.J. Ham. What a performance. His blocking isn’t quantifiable in the box score, but he was a big reason why Minnesota controlled the clock in the second half.

Sam Ekstrom
Sam Ekstrom is an executive producer and host at Locked On Sports Minnesota. He's previously covered the Vikings for 105 The Ticket, Zone Coverage, Purple Insider, and the Associated Press. He grew up in Vermillion, S.D. rooting for the USD Coyotes (not SDSU) and graduated from Dordt (not "dork") University in Sioux Center, Iowa.
All Articles
Vikings
Vikings Fans’ Pre-Draft Stress Has Never Been More Real
By Nelson Thielen - Apr 19, 2024
Vikings
Drake Maye’s Arm Talent Is Worth A King’s Ransom
By Kaleb Medhanie - Apr 19, 2024
Vikings

T.J. Hockenson Has Found That the Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons (USA Today Sports)
Avatar photo
By Tom Schreier - April 18, 2024

T.J. Hockenson doesn’t think Kerby Joseph is a dirty player. He’s just upset that the knee injury he sustained on Joseph’s low hit has forced him to […]

Continue Reading