The Dallas Cowboys came into their Sunday night showdown against the Minnesota Vikings desperately needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive – even more so because the Philadelphia Eagles won their game earlier in the day.
Undoubtedly, the Cowboys had to take care business.
They didn't. Instead, the Vikings handed Dallas its second straight defeat, 34-26.
Similar to last week against the Detroit Lions, the difference was the Cowboys settled for field goals while the Vikings were able to reach the end zone. And the circumstances were made even worse by the normally reliable Brandon Aubrey missing a pair of long field goal attempts.
Dak Prescott was good but not great, passing for 294 yards with no touchdowns for an 84.8 quarterback rating. His primary target was CeeDee Lamb, who finished with a game-high 111 receiving yards, but George Pickens was again a non-factor, earning just 33.
Meanwhile, on the ground Javonte Williams was strong, averaging 6.1 yards per carry on his way to 91 yards for the game. But he missed most of the first half, and by the time he really got rolling in the second, the Cowboys were playing from behind, forced to rely on their passing game.
On the other side of the ball, the Dallas defense just couldn't get much pressure on Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, failing to notch a sack and only recording one quarterback hit. With time, McCarthy, who has struggled this season, was able to pick apart the Cowboys secondary, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns for a 108 rating.
Overall, the Cowboys outgained Minnesota, 423 to 327, and held the time of possession, 32:36 to 27:24. However, those yards didn't equate to touchdowns as each team earned points on six possessions, but Dallas reached the end zone only twice while the Vikings crossed the goal line four times.
First Quarter
How about some razzle-dazzle to get things going? Although the Cowboys kicked off to begin the game, two snaps into the Vikings' first possession, Dallas had the ball. Coming on a blitz, safety Donovan Wilson tipped McCarthy's pass up in the air with defensive tackle Quinnen Williams then corralling the prize for the second interception of his career.
Set up at the Minnesota 35-yard line, the Cowboys would soon line up for a short field goal after being unable to move the ball. But a fake instead saw Aubrey run around the right end for a 6-yard gain to move the chains.
Given new life, Dallas then marched to the end zone, Javonte Williams earning the touchdown with a 1-yard burst up the middle to put the home side up early, 7-0.
Unfortunately, not all was rosy as Williams, the Cowboys' 1,000-yard rusher, suffered a shoulder injury during the series and would remain on the sideline for the rest of the half.
Also not ideal was that before the end of the quarter, the game would be tied. With Dallas punting from its own end zone, the Vikings began with good field position at their 47-yard line, and after that, getting across the goal line only took two plays. A swing pass to Aaron Jones went for 18 yards with another 15 tacked on for a horse collar penalty. That was then followed by McCarthy rolling to his left and connecting with Jalen Nailor in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Second Quarter
Getting the lead back didn't take much time as Dallas was already on the Minnesota 1-yard line when the second quarter got underway. Prescott got things going with a 19-yard pass to Ryan Flournoy and a 30-yard connection to Lamb, but it was Malik Davis who picked up the final 12 yards. He did so on three carries, the last of which saw him bully his way up the middle and into the end zone for his second touchdown of the season.
The seesaw affair continued, and now it was Minnesota's turn. The Vikings needed 10 plays to travel 75 yards for their next touchdown, but 58 of those came on a bomb to Jordan Addison, who got behind cornerback Caelen Carson. That eventually led to McCarthy completely faking out the Dallas defense and basically walking in untouched from the 1-yard line, the score 14-14.
And that was followed by Minnesota adding another three points on a 29-yard field goal, which came after Aubrey pushed a 51-yard attempt wide left on the Cowboys' previous possession.
But with 1:48 remaining in the half, that was plenty of time for Prescott and company to give Aubrey another chance. The offense quickly worked its way down to the Minnesota 19-yard line, where the Cowboys kicker split the uprights on a 37-yard attempt to even things up at the break, 17-17.
Third Quarter
The Cowboys backfield continued to be in flux as the second half got underway. While Williams was now back in the lineup, fullback Hunter Luepke did not return after suffering a concussion.
Regardless, the Cowboys followed up their field goal at the end of the second quarter with a pair of field goals to start the third. A seven-play, 50-yard series – highlighted by tight end Luke Schoonmaker's one-handed grab for a 29-yard gain – was capped when Aubrey was good on a 26-yarder.
After forcing a punt, the Dallas offense then came right back with another three points. Prescott got things going with a 30-yard strike to Lamb down the right sideline with Williams soon darting off left guard for 21 more. But the drive bogged down in enemy territory, resulting in Aubrey kicking another field goal, this one from 41 yards to give the Cowboys a 23-17 advantage.
Still, those field goals were becoming a concern. Especially after the Vikings responded to the six Cowboys points with a quick seven of their own. McCarthy completed passes of 29, 23 and 10 yards during his team's 73-yard drive to get Minnesota into the red zone for the fourth time. Fullback C.J. Ham then scored his first touchdown of the season on a run up the middle to put the Vikings back in front, 24-23.
Fourth Quarter
As the clock ticked over into the final frame, the Cowboys were on the move, but the team resorted yet again to another field goal attempt. And with Aubrey having to try from 59 yards, he pushed his kick to the left for a second time, his two misses on the night equaling his total for the entire season coming into this game.
And just like they did on their previous drive, the Vikings came back with a touchdown. Given a short field, they needed to travel only 51 yards in five plays to cross the goal line. McCarthy was 4 for 4 on his pass attempts, the last of which was a 4-yard dart to Nailor for the score.
Things just went from bad to worse. The Cowboys were unable to convert on a fourth-and-7 at the Minnesota 45-yard line, and then Quinnen Williams had to leave the game on the Vikings' ensuing possession due to a concussion.
When Minnesota soon converted its own fourth-and-1 and moved into Dallas territory, the game was all but over. That led to a 53-yard field goal for the Vikings' Will Reichard, which sealed the victory for the visitors.
Aubrey tacked on a 41-yard field goal with 23 seconds left, but it was too little, too late as the Cowboys' ensuing onside kick was recovered by Minnesota.
With the loss, the Cowboys now have to win their remaining three games and need the Eagles to lose all three of their contests to win the NFC East and earn a playoff spot. A tall task to say the least.
