FRISCO, Texas – Both the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings enter Week 8 coming off a bye week and walk-off touchdowns in overtime. Now, the stage is set for an NFC primetime showdown on Halloween as the 5-1 Cowboys face off against the 3-3 Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Here are key storylines heading into Sunday night’s matchup in Minneapolis.
- Of course, the main narrative heading into Sunday’s matchup is Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott suffered a right calf strain in the final play of the team’s overtime win against the Patriots on Oct. 17 and has been limited in practice throughout the week. The signs are encouraging but the team is being cautious with his injury to prevent a setback or potential lingering issue. On Wednesday and Thursday, Prescott went through extensive rehabilitation work with athletic trainer Britt Brown on resistance cords before joining teammates for individual drills. Whether it has been lunges, high knees, change of direction drills, drop-back simulations, or ripping passes, Prescott has operated at full speed without favoring his left leg. QB1 has looked like his normal self inside Ford Center and pushed his workout on Thursday to experience a “full go” ramp up. Prescott has worked with the first team throughout all walk-through practices. Receiver CeeDee Lamb placed the estimate of Prescott playing at 90 percent, and right now, that seems accurate. The Cowboys are sitting at a three-game lead in the division and the team’s next option is Cooper Rush – who has completed 1 of 3 passes in his NFL career for two yards in 2017. The ultimate decision will likely come on Saturday by the team’s medical staff, coaching staff, and Prescott. On Rush making a potential debut, McCarthy stated “he’ll be ready to go. If he’s up, he’ll be ready to go. We’ve still got some time.”
- The return of La’el Collins has sparked headlines. Collins was suspended by the NFL for five games; however, the Cowboys did not throw a party upon his homecoming or hand him his starting job back. Terence Steele has exceeded expectations through the last five games at right tackle, while Collins has started just one game since 2019. Collins is currently listed as the backup right tackle and left guard on the team’s unofficial depth chart. The coaching staff will use this week of practice to make a determination but from a group that incessantly preaches “continuity on the line,” it appears Collins’ fate is sealed with Steele lining up next to Zack Martin come Sunday.
- Dan Quinn’s defense will face the highest caliber running back so far this season with Dalvin Cook. Christian McCaffrey was injured when the squad faced the Panthers and Saquon Barkley exited with an injury when Dallas hosted the Giants. Cook has missed time due to a nagging ankle injury but put up 140 yards and a touchdown against Carolina in impressive fashion. With his jump cuts, vision and power, gap integrity will be critical in containing Cook and limiting big gains. “We got to try our best to slow him down and all rally to the ball, all other hats to the ball and make sure there’s no gap,” Micah Parsons described. “You can’t let him breathe. You give him an inch and he’s going to take it. So, we all got to play 100% every snap and try to slow him down.” The Vikings rank eighth in total rushing yards (11th in yards per carry), but with a healthy Cook lined up in the backfield, they can dominate on the ground. Sunday will be a true litmus test for Dallas – a unit that currently ranks in the bottom half in the league in yards given up per carry.
- The Cowboys will get a taste of their own medicine this week in taking on a talent-filled offense that mirrors its own. Pick your poison, if you will. Cook can win on the ground and Kirk Cousins can win through the air targeting Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Jefferson is the big-play threat and Thielen a reliable weapon on third down in intermediate, underneath routes. The Cowboys have been playing more man coverage (Cover 1) on the back end this season so the question remains, will Trevon Diggs travel with Jefferson or Thielen? Diggs told media he “does not know the game plan yet” for Sunday but in all likelihood, Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. will mix it up, potentially putting Diggs with Jefferson on early downs (Anthony Brown on Thielen) and matching him with Thielen on later downs (Brown with Jefferson). If one is the containment target, the Vikings can wear teams down with the other receiving threat. “Adam’s done it for a long time, and he has done it at a high level,” Mike McCarthy told D210SPORTS. “He is the full complement. He can get behind you more than you think he can. Excellent route runner. Super competitive. Can really make the phonebooth catches too. I’ve seen enough of him over the years and Justin is someone that – I think I spoke on this last year – he reminds me a lot of Greg Jennings, the receiver I had in Green Bay. Really good in the slot and can also play outside so I think their whole perimeter group as a whole is going to be a big challenge for us.” Cousins has struggled in the pocket with pressure up the middle and conversely, the Cowboys are over 40 percent on third down, making them the second-best defense at getting results off a blitz. Dallas has been effective bringing a fifth rusher and Sunday will be the time to dial them up.
- Dallas will have more opportunities to pound the rock on Sunday going up against the Vikings’ 26th ranked run defense. Ezekiel Elliott mentioned Minnesota likes to sprinkle in some shell defense, inviting the run like Kellen Moore’s squad saw in Weeks 2 and 3. The Vikings’ safeties are not the most prolific wrap-up tacklers so that will provide chances for Elliott and Pollard to break to the second level for large gains. The Cowboys will have an advantage with a run-heavy approach, but Mike Zimmer’s group is stout on third downs and red-zone defense. Establishing the ground game, protecting the quarterback and bringing in chips will be the recipe for success.
