Often times we all have trouble finding words that perfectly reflect our thoughts, and this might be one of those times. Because not only did the Cowboys dominate on Sunday – the Cowboys annihilated the Minnesota Vikings in a 40-3 victory.
The Cowboys’ victory over the Vikings on Sunday is the largest margin of victory in franchise history for the Cowboys on the road. Out of all the Cowboys’ dynasties we’ve seen throughout history – none of them beat an opponent as bad as the Cowboys beat the Vikings two days ago.
Let that sink in.
We went into this game with a ton of questions for the Cowboys after their ugly, disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers just one week prior. There was a sense of frustration inside the Cowboys locker room, with leaders such as Micah Parsons and Jayron Kearse calling out the defense to perform better.
Whatever they did – it worked. The Cowboys finally showed they can overcome adversity and play their best football. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a win as perfect and clean as the Cowboys achieved on Sunday. We all were curious as to how this Dallas team could slow down Dalvin Cook and how they could stop Justin Jefferson, who might be the best wide receiver in all of football.
They did.
The entire Minnesota Vikings offense was held to just 183 total yards. Kirk Cousins, whom many had claimed was on an MVP-like run before Sunday, threw for only 110 yards and was sacked seven times. The rest of the Cowboys’ defense must have heard what Micah Parsons and Jayron Kearse said throughout the week because the defense had Kirk Cousins running for his life all day.
Every week I post over/under reactions going into Sunday before the Cowboys play, and this week I anticipated Dak Prescott would show out against the Vikings, and that the Cowboys’ defense would contain Dalvin Cook. All of which was right. Dak Prescott looked like his typical rockstar self when he’s on his game, throwing for 276 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 88%. Wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup showed up and made spectacular plays throughout the game – something the Cowboys have needed from them consistently all season.
But we simply cannot ignore the explosiveness Tony Pollard is equipped with. Pollard had another massive showing for the Cowboys, rushing for 80 yards on 15 attempts, and recorded a remarkable six catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Tony Pollard makes this Cowboys team much more dynamic and has proven to be an absolute lethal threat to opposing defenses.
The problem we seem to have with the Cowboys is they aren’t consistent. They don’t deliver in big games when it matters most. They don’t handle adversity well. Guess what? The Cowboys delivered against a team that was 8-1 coming into the game, and a team that they may see again come January. The Cowboys accepted all the adversity thrown their way since the game against the Packers, and they came out to make a statement.
The Cowboys sent a message to the entire NFL on Sunday. If this team can play at even 80% of what they did yesterday through the remainder of the season, then the rest of the league should be worried about the Cowboys when the playoffs come around.
Dallas absolutely needs to carry on this momentum into Thursday, when they host the (7-3) New York Giants on Thanksgiving. If the Cowboys can come out and put another win together against their division rival, then the Cowboys will seriously be in contention for the number one seed in the NFC.
