What: Cowboys (1-2) at Vikings (3-0) When: Friday, Sept. 3/ 7 p.m. (CDT) Where: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome / Minneapolis TV: Blue Star Media - KTVT CBS 11 (Dallas-Fort Worth) Radio: KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan; CBS Radio Mega 107.5 (Spanish)
About the Cowboys: With most of the starters, if not all of them, expected to sit out the preseason finale in Minnesota, this will be the final opportunity for several young players to make a lasting impression. The NFL rosters must be reduced to 53 by Saturday. But even though there are 75 on the current roster, only a handful of positions, at best, remain open for contention. If anything, the Cowboys are hoping to get through this game with no major injuries. It's a been a rough preseason for the 12 drafted rookies, and last week, two more were lost for four to six weeks as safety Michael Hamlin (broken wrist) and linebacker Jason Williams (high ankle sprain) went down. The Cowboys have already placed fourth-round pick Brandon Williams on IR with a torn ACL and offensive tackle Robert Brewster, a third-round selection, will likely miss the season with a torn pectoral muscle. He's on the reserved PUP list and isn't expected to play. If that's not enough, sixth-round pick Stephen Hodge hasn't been the same since undergoing a knee scope late in the summer and has only played once in the preseason.
About the Vikings: No NFL team has been profiled as much as the Vikings here in the preseason. Of course, they can thank Brett Favre for that. Lured out of retirement for his 19th NFL season, Favre returns to the NFC and the North Division where he'll now face the Packers twice after being Green Bay's savior quarterback for so many years. Not only will Favre run the offense, but he'll have the services of arguably the NFL's best running back in Adrian Peterson, the league's top rusher last season with 1,760 yards. The Vikings have had one of the NFL's stingiest defenses, ranking sixth overall last year.
Series History: This marks the 11th preseason meeting between the teams, but the fourth straight year in which the Cowboys and Vikings have closed out the preseason against one another. In the three previous games, the series is tied, thanks to a 10-10 score back in 2006. The Cowboys lost to the Vikings in 2007, 23-14, but ended last year's exhibition schedule with a 16-10 victory over Minnesota, in the final preseason game at Texas Stadium. Overall, the Cowboys own a 14-12 advantage in 26 regular-season and postseason meetings.
2009 Preseason: After splitting two lopsided games, the Cowboys dropped a close 20-13 contest to the 49ers last week at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The first-team starters were impressive for the most part, giving the Cowboys a 10-3 halftime lead. So far in three preseason games, the Cowboys have more than doubled their opponent's time of possession for the first two quarters. The Cowboys did falter some in the second half last week, allowing 10 points to the 49ers in the final five minutes. A victory over the Vikings on Friday would give the Cowboys their third straight 2-2 record under Wade Phillips . . . The Vikings are undefeated in three preseason games, although all three contests have been close. Last week in the so-called dress rehearsal, Minnesota defeated the Texans, 17-10, with all the points from both teams occurring in the first half. Getting a full first half, Brett Favre passed for 142 yards and a touchdown while Adrian Peterson rushed for 117 yards.
Stadium News: While two different teams are moving out of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the Vikings are not one of them. The Minnesota Twins baseball team is wrapping up their final season before moving to the new Target Field in 2010. The University of Minnesota Gophers left the dome and will play this season at the new TCF Bank Stadium, the first new stadium for a Big 10 school in 49 years. So that leaves just the Vikings playing in the Metrodome, at least until their lease is up in 2011. There have been plans for a new stadium, but for now, the Vikings remain at the dome. In fact, the team will likely spice up the scenery with a little more purple and gold, considering they won't be sharing the place with other teams anymore.
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