'The Perfect Game': Dak Prescott & Dallas Cowboys at Vikings - Near Error-Free?; Top 10
The Hail Mary in 1975.
Tony Dorsett's 99-yard run in 1983.
The Herschel Walker trade in 1989.
The 40-15 playoff blowout in 1996.
And now, in the rich history of the Dallas Cowboys demoralizing the Minnesota Vikings, we present the near-flawless Sunday in Minneapolis when America's Team made its 8-1 opponent look like a JV outfit. On a day when the Cowboys could have beaten any team in the NFL, they led by 34 points after just 36 minutes and cruised to a convincing, message-trumpeting 40-3 victory.
The 37-point margin is the largest road win in Cowboys' history.
Consider your Thanksgiving dinner appetizer served.
10. 'Boys Against Minn ... esota - Just one of those days when - unexpectedly - everything goes right.
The Cowboys dominated both lines of scrimmage, constantly harassing Kirk Cousins on defense (seven sacks, most since 2008) while allowing Dak Prescott (22 of 25) the comfort of a rocking chair in the pocket. The Vikings had apparently not seen Tony Pollard on film. Brett Maher made two 60-yard field goals. CeeDee Lamb produced a toe-touch catch that would make Justin Jefferson blush. Micah Parsons was everywhere. Noah Brown duplicated Dez Bryant's "catch-non-catch" from Green Bay in 2015, but was actually rewarded with a catch.
Nothing went wrong. And yeah, to use a baseball analogy, the Cowboys came quite close to "throwing a perfect game.''
9. On Any Given Sunday - Good as they were Sunday, hard to fathom these same Cowboys a week ago coughed up a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead to a 4-7 Packers team that otherwise hasn't won a game since Oct. 2.
8. Eight Is Enough? - In hindsight, we should've seen this coming. The Cowboys were desperate, coming in off a gut-punch loss. The Vikings were disillusioned, coming in off the luckiest of wins. Minnesota was, in fact, an "overrated" 8-1 team. It wasn't just the fortune of seven consecutive one-score wins, it's how the Vikings won. They beat the Saints in London when New Orleans' field goal double-doinked on the final play. They beat the Dolphins without Tua Tagovailoa. They beat Washington with the aid of a 15-yard special teams penalty on their last drive. And, of course, a week ago they beat the Bills on a fumbled snap by Josh Allen. Their record was deceptive; their performance revealing.
7. First Things First - After scoring on their first two drives, the Cowboys led 10-3 after the first quarter. No surprise. It increases their NFL-best first-quarter point differential to +38. They have their flaws, but quick starts ain't one of 'em.
6. Pssst, It's Pollard - We know Zeke Elliott is the two-time rushing champ with the 10,000 combined yards, but how can a defense look that ill-prepared to defend Pollard? Note to the Vikings: He's fast. And he can catch. The "backup" running back often found himself in space against a linebacker, or even sometimes covered by no one at all. In the second quarter he took a pass in the flat from Prescott at the 35 and ran untouched for a touchdown. His total damage: six catches for 109 yards and another 80 yards rushing, with touchdowns of 30 and 68. Elliott ran for two scores as well, but you get the feeling Minnesota is still trying to identify the license plate that sped away from it all day.
5. Good Vibes - While Lambeau Field always brings out the worst in the Cowboys, Minneapolis' U.S. Bank Stadium is quite friendly. Last year Cooper Rush filled in for an injured Prescott for an unlikely win on Halloween. And now Rush again finished a game, this time mopping up for Dak in a pre-Thanksgiving blowout. Prescott, of course, gets credit for the "win", his first on the road this season and first since Jan. 8 in Philadelphia.
4. To Kick Or Not To Kick? - When a second-quarter drive stalled at Minnesota's 35-yard line, Mike McCarthy didn't hesitate to send out kicker Maher for a 53-yard field he easily boomed through. A week ago in Green Bay, remember, Dallas' opening possession in overtime also made it to the 35. But on that occasion McCarthy decided to eschew a 53-yard attempt and go for it on 4th-and-3. Moral to the story: Trust Maher from 53. And, for that matter, 60.
3. Vegas Knows - Eyebrows were raised across the NFL when the wise guys in Las Vegas established the 6-3 Cowboys as 1.5-point favorites over the 8-1 Vikings. It was the first time since 1976 that a team 8-1 or better (that was starting its regular quarterback) was a home underdog. Turns out Vegas knew. Per usual.
2. Greed Is ... Good? - Thanks to Maher - twice - making a 60-yard field goal, the strategy worked. This time. But the Cowboys got greedy at the end of the first half. Already up 20-3 and getting the second-half kickoff, the smart thing to do with only 31 seconds remaining and the ball at your own 14 would be taking a knee. But after a couple of short completions, Prescott rolled right and threw a perfect pass on the sideline to Lamb, who made the kind of toe-touch, leaning grab every kid has tried in their back yard. The drive was productive. The risk-reward was still out of whack.
1. Sterling Sunday - The list of Cowboys' negatives wouldn't fill grandma's old sewing thimble. (Well, Jayron Kearse did mock the "Skol Vikings" arm-over-head gesture after a sack while leading 37-3, and that was kind of tacky.) Okay, maybe a smidge greedy (see above). But this was as close to perfection as they can play, especially considering it came against a team that was 4-0 at home. Dallas scored on its first seven possessions. The Vikings allowed seven sacks while scoring only three points. It was the first time in six seasons the Cowboys produced a first half in which they didn't put, commit a turnover or allow a sack. It was 23-3 at halftime. It felt like 43-3.
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