The Dallas Cowboys traveled to US Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings in primetime. The odds seemed to be in Minnesota’s favor from the opening kickoff after the Cowboys had ruled Dak Prescott out. And they looked like they would squeeze out a victory for most of the game.
Minnesota had the lead for most of regulation, even if it may not have felt like it. They narrowly fell to the Cowboys in the final minute, despite a hard-to-watch performance.
Here are five numbers that tell the story of the Vikings-Cowboys game.
51
The Vikings had control for most of the game but relinquished the lead with 51 seconds left. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush threw a touchdown pass to Amari Cooper, giving the Cowboys their first lead.
The Vikings have had a problem finishing in close games this year. They have lost by an average of 3.75 points this season, and this was yet another example of Minnesota coming up short against a team they had an opportunity to beat. Unfortunately, it’s something fans have become accustomed to this season.
1
While this wasn’t a bad game statistically for Kirk Cousins, it marked the first time he threw for under 200 yards this season. It also marked his second-lowest passer rating of the season, 88.3.
Cousins did not make the Vikings’ offense look like it should, given all the talent around him. What was supposed to be the team’s strong point ended up looking like a work in progress. The regression of the offense is unsettling, considering how other teams have performed against them.
The Vikings couldn’t convert on third down to save their life, finishing 1/13 on the night.
20
Somehow the Vikings’ defense managed to only allow 20 points, tied for the lowest total of Dallas’ season. Sure, Rush started, but in a game this sloppy, you need to have some positive takeaways. The defense looked solid, posting three sacks and an interception.
The Vikings held Dallas to two touchdowns and three field goals. This may be one of the few positive takeaways from this game, and it was the only reason Minnesota was still in contention in the fourth quarter.
73
Despite the solid defensive performance, the game’s turning point came from Rush’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Cedrick Wilson Jr. Not that Minnesota necessarily had momentum before this moment. Still, this long touchdown pass sucked the air out of US Bank Stadium.
Rush also threw for 252 more yards in addition to that 73-yard strike. This play will be overlooked because of the game-winning catch, but it was crucial to the outcome of this game and possibly a big pivot point for the Vikings’ season.
41
This number may confuse people at first, but it is possibly one of the most insulting statistics from this game. Jordan Berry punted for 237 yards on six attempts. The Vikings’ offense only had 278 yards, meaning Berry almost literally out-punted the offense. If that doesn’t show you how bad this offensive performance was, I don’t know what will.
The Vikings have no business having this much trouble on offense. The football Gods gifted Minnesota with a chance to win with Prescott and Tyron Smith sidelined, and they did nothing with it.
The Vikings now sit at 3-4 and play the high-powered Baltimore Ravens offense next week.
