Dak Prescott shines in statement win over Vikings

Nov 21, 2022
6
2 mins read
Dak Prescott and the offense shine in statement victory over Vikings

The Dallas Cowboys made a statement yesterday by beating the 8-1 Vikings 40-3.

The Cowboys dominated from the coin flip. Micah Parsons set the tone early with a sack on Kirk Cousins on the Vikings’ first offensive possession. He finished the game with four tackles and two sacks, bringing his season total to 10.

After blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead against the Packers a week ago, the Cowboys made sure that did not happen again. The offense kept their foot on the gas, scoring 17 points in the second half.

Yes, the defense of the Cowboys was dominant all game, but the outburst from Dak Prescott and the offense is what caught my eye. The 40-burger is the second-highest total Dallas has scored in a game this season.

The fast start from the offense allowed the defense to do what they do best, rush the passer. They finished with six sacks on the day.

We knew the defense could do this, they had just been very shaky the last few weeks, but I remember this week people said Dak Prescott was the weakest link of this football team. That made me laugh.

The Cowboys scored on each of their first seven possessions and didn’t have to punt the football until 3:55 remained in the THIRD quarter.

Prescott finished the game 22 of 25, 276 yards, and two passing touchdowns. He made a statement yesterday and didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

Prescott noted in one of his press conferences that this was a playoff game, and he showed up big time. The Cowboys out-gained the Vikings 458-150. It got so bad that the CBS national broadcast switched from the game of the week to the Bengals and Steelers game.

“We know we needed to respond after last week.” “If we can continue to do this, this team can be special,” Prescott said after the game. Guess what? I agree with him.

https://twitter.com/NFLonCBS/status/1594491823237603328?s=20&t=auzmorS2Q_a7i743_6WEdg

With his two touchdown passes yesterday, Prescott hit the 150-career mark. He has the most passing touchdowns in his first seven seasons as a Cowboy. Tony Romo is second with 118.

Tony Pollard had another fantastic day. He has totaled 464 yards and six touchdowns in his last three games. The combo of Ezekiel Elliott and Pollard are so good together. Zeke did the dirty work, picked up the well-needed first downs, and scored two touchdowns from inside the five.

https://twitter.com/JoriEpstein/status/1594469812595466241

As we advance in the season, the Cowboys have everything right in front of them for the taking, and they sit two games behind the Eagles for the lead in the NFC East. The way Philly has looked the last two weeks, their second matchup on Christmas Eve could have a lot of stake.

The Cowboys just showed that they could go on the road against one of the best teams in football and win the game convincingly. If they don’t find a way to overtake the Eagles and get the no. 1 in the NFC, this is the type of team they could see in the playoffs.

Consistency is the key for the Cowboys moving forward. Nonetheless, this team has shown us what they can be more often than not.

Shane Taylor

Shane Taylor

Shane Taylor is a sports journalist with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and seven years of professional media experience. He has written 766 articles for InsideTheStar.com, reaching over 928,000 readers. Prior to Inside The Star, Shane worked as a Sports Reporter for Journal Star and a Regional News Reporter for Shaw Media. He currently works in the TRIO Upward Bound department at a junior college.

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Cowboy Fan Ed
Cowboy Fan Ed
Nov 21, 2022 8:38 AM

When this team is laser focused we can beat anybody! If they ever learn to play and stay focused for four quarters and not let up that’s when we get a Super Bowl!

Lawrence
Lawrence
Nov 21, 2022 9:46 AM
Reply to  Cowboy Fan Ed

Totally agree Cowboy Fan Ed! One of my primary concerns is having to play Kelvin Joseph. Kid’s an ABSOLUTE STINKER that doesn’t seem to have a clue about how you defend an NFL Wide Receiver. His game is grabbing and holding recievers as they’re sprinting by him. The more he’s not dressed out, the better the Cowboys secondary is.

Lawrence
Lawrence
Nov 21, 2022 9:40 AM

Good Morning Shane. What a GREAT RESPONSE to a heart breaking loss at Green Bay. The Packers put EVERYTHING into the Dallas game and reverted back to the Packers who had lost to the Lions earlier in the season when they faced the Titans. The defense overall was FIRST RATE. Hope in the days to come Dan Quinn can keep Kelvin Joseph off the field trying to be a Cornerback. He’s so pathetic!!! Doesn’t run and cover, just grabs and holds recievers. The sooner he gets his Rap career going fully, the better for the Cowboys. Pollard, Elliott, and Davis can be very important going forward. Was as impressed with McCarthy as I’ve been since he became the Head Coach. He looked different yesterday on the sidelines. Can’t say what it was, but there seemed to be something different Iin his body language and attitude. Do you have any thoughts? Now let’s go get the Giants and secure sole possession of 2nd place in the NFC East. The Eagles are getting by right know on pure luck. I hope teams start putting 8 and 9 guys in the box and force Hurts to play quarterback versus running back.

Shane Taylor
Shane Taylor
Nov 21, 2022 9:49 AM
Reply to  Lawrence

Hey Lawrence – Absolutely, great team win.

I think the loss last week to Green Bay really hit McCarthy hard, and really woke this team up.

Nobody gave them a chance, and the media was ready to call the season over for the Cowboys just like after week one.

This team just has a bunch of LEADERS all over the football field, and it’s great to see! Every single time they have said they needed to respond they have.

It was a type of game Dallas is going to have to win on the road in the playoffs.

Lawrence
Lawrence
Nov 22, 2022 7:30 AM
Reply to  Shane Taylor

As usual Shane, you’re spot on with your observations and commentary. It’s great chatting back and forth with you Man! Looking forward to another big win on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a great opportunity for the Cowboys to grab that 2nd place spot and close the gap on the Eagles. GO COWBOYS!!!!

VAM
VAM
Nov 21, 2022 10:56 AM

Wow, where to start. Did not think this game would be the blowout it was, although DP has a great record against Cousins. DP, TP, BM, O-line and the defense in particular played great. Well basically the whole team played great. Hopefully they can continue at this high level, b/c they would be hard to beat by any other team. Well next up the Giants on TDay.

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