MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – On a Halloween Night that had its share of crazy, wicked and even downright spooky plays, the Cowboys had just enough treats to win in the end.
The Cowboys' 20-16 comeback win improves them to 6-1. They had a couple of big touchdown passes from Cooper Rush and a few standout defensive plays as well.
But here are a few of the moments that might be overlooked, but played a part in the final score.
Overthrow to Jefferson – Early in the game, the Vikings already had a 7-0 lead and were on the move to add to the scoring. On a second-and-7 at the 49-yard line, Kirk Cousins had a wide open Justin Jefferson down the right sideline after Anthony Brown fell to the ground. But the pass was just out of Jefferson's reach in what could've been a walk-in touchdown. On third down, the Vikings couldn't convert and had to punt as the Cowboys escaped a big play against them.
Parsons stalls a drive – Micah Parsons had 11 tackles and four of them behind the line of scrimmage. One of the biggest TFLs for Parsons occurred in the third quarter with the Vikings leading 13-10. After an 8-yard gain by Dalvin Cook, the Vikings had a second-and-2 and tried to slip a screen pass to fullback C.J. Ham. But Parsons read it the whole way and stopped him for a four-yard loss. Again, the Vikings didn't get a first down and had to punt, giving the ball back to the Cowboys, who were able to tie the game.
Cousins flagged for grounding – On the first play after what appeared to be a game-changing sack/fumble on Cooper Rush, the Vikings went the other way. A first-and-10 at the Minnesota 48 with 9:56 to play, Cousins avoided a sack by Basham and threw the ball away while in the pocket. The Vikings were penalized 10 yards with a loss of downs and eventually had to punt as the Cowboys were not severely hurt by the fumble.
Late hit finally avoided – On a drive that saw the refs call two separate late-hit penalties on Randy Gregory, they could've called a third one on Leighton Vander Esch on second down and goal at the end of the game. LVE and Jayron Kearse combined to stop Vikings back Anthony Mattison for a 3-yard loss at the 11. But Vander Esch hit Mattison while he was going out of bounds. That could've been called for a late hit and an automatic first down. Instead, the Vikings had to settle for a field goal, giving the Cowboys enough time to drive the field for the win.
Delay of Game on Vikings – In a rare defensive penalty for delay of game, the five yards provided to be crucial for the Cowboys as they were driving late in the fourth quarter. It was supposed to be third-and-16 at the 25-yard line but because Minnesota called two straight timeouts, they were penalized five yards. So on third-and-11, Ezekiel Elliott was able to bust through the defenders for a first down that led to a game-winning touchdown.
