The Cowboys sure were mad about last week’s loss, huh? The Dallas Cowboys strolled into Minnesota and utterly obliterated the hottest team in football as they DOMINATED the Vikings 40-3.
If I lost to the lowly Packers in a huge, emotional game by blowing a 14-point lead in the 4th Quarter, I’d be this mad too. The Cowboys were on a mission of vengeance in Minnesota as they tore apart the Vikings in every facet of the game, leaving nothing but shattered hopes and broken bones in their wake.
The Cowboys defense was especially brutal against Kirk Cousins (12/23, 105 yards) and the Vikings offense as they racked up 49 tackles, 4 PD, 8 TFL, 13 QB hits, and 7 sacks, leaving the Vikings with absolutely no space or time to move the ball.
The Vikings literally did nothing on offense the whole game (aside from a 1st Quarter field goal) as they had less than 200 total yards of offense, they were under 80 rushing yards, they punted the ball 7 times, and completed just 1/11 on 3rd down.
Not even Justin Jefferson could get anything going for Minnesota as he only had 3 catches for 33 yards, which is a huge win for Trevon Diggs as he was covering him for a large portion of the game.
Micah Parsons (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 TFL, 5 QB hits) and Dorance Armstrong (3 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QB hits) led the way for this all-consuming Dallas defense with two sacks each, while Dante Fowler Jr. (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit), Demarcus Lawrence (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit), and Jayron Kearse (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PD, 1 QB hit) all got in on the action with a sack of their own, respectively.
Though, if I had to pick out one player that was the standout playmaker on the defense, it was obviously Micah Parsons. I keep saying this every week but it’s true: Micah Parsons is a phenome.
He is literally the second coming of Lawrence Taylor as he just has an innate ability to shed any and every tackle, guard, fullback, center, tight end, etc. that gets in his way, even when he’s being double or triple teamed! We’ll have to wait and see if he ever has the Super Bowl winning moments and game-breaking plays that LT had to win the Giants a few Super Bowls in the late 80s and early 90s, but he definitely has the talent to do so.
He’s just that good.
Yet, he was not the standout player in this game. Actually, he was far from it as that honor belongs to one man and one man only: Tony Pollard.
He destroyed the Minnesota Vikings as he not only went for 80 rushing yards on 15 carries, but he also caught another 6 passes for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns. So, in other words, Pollard had nearly 200 combined yards of offense and 2 touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the NFL!
Sure, Ezekiel Elliott had an equal number of carries (amounting to 43 yards) and two rushing touchdowns, but there can be no question that Pollard has supplanted the former Ohio State RB in the depth chart as Dallas’ primary rusher. Whether he ran at them or caught a pass from the backfield, the Vikings defense was unable to bring down Pollard as he broke into open space.
Not even All-Pro guys like Harrison Smith, Patrick Peterson, and Za’Darius Smith could lay a finger on Pollard, which just shows how explosive this Dallas offense can be when through Pollard and the running game. Yes, Dak Prescott had a great game completing 22/25 passes for 276 yards and 2 TDs, and Ceedee Lamb caught 5 balls for 45 yards, but they should not be the focal point of this offense as they were in Green Bay.
No, with the dual-head of Pollard and Elliott, the Dallas rushing attack is the very the best in the NFL, and it should be used as such.
If Dallas (7-3) can continue to exploit such an advantage over the NFC teams as they did today, then I can really see them coming out of the conference as the Super Bowl representatives of the NFC. Yes, it’s a crazy thing to say but it’s true. The Dallas Cowboys are dangerous…when they utilize their running game.
As for the Vikings (8-2), I can’t think of a better way to deflate all the momentum they got from winning the Game of the Year (so far) against the Bills last week. To get utterly smashed on your own home field as an 8-1 team is not only embarrassing, but also kind of disgraceful.
You guys were supposed to be the 2nd best team in the league, Vikings. Act like it!
Sadly, I guess this loss means that we won’t be seeing a shirtless Kirk Cousins icing out on the team bus/plane tonight.
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