The Minnesota Vikings are feeling good after an overtime win in Buffalo last week and felt even better after falling into a tie with the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC.
With the Vikings currently the second seed by virtue of their Week 2 loss to the Eagles, there’s work to be done over the final eight games. That includes Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, who at 6-3 is also a legitimate NFC contender.
Nobody could have predicted the Vikings’ 8-1 start but here are five things you can count on heading into Sunday’s game against Dallas.
1. A popcorn-worthy matchup between Christian Darrisaw and Micah Parsons
If you like the battle in the trenches, Sunday’s game is for you. Parsons is Pro Football Focus’s No. 3 graded edge rusher this season and is eighth in the NFL with 40 pressures. The Dallas defense as a whole leads the league with a pressure rate of 40.8% and the Vikings offensive line has allowed a 40 percent or higher pressure rate in three of their past four games.
The good news is that while the Cowboys have a one-man army (Parsons), the Vikings have a Hulk – Christian Darrisaw.
Darrisaw has taken a giant leap in his second season, grading as Pro Football Focus’s top offensive lineman. He hasn’t allowed a sack this season and has three “clean sheet” games where he hasn’t allowed a quarterback pressure including last week’s win over Buffalo.
The Cowboys will try to deploy Parsons creatively to attack the interior of the offensive line but after Darrisaw recovered from his concussion, the Vikings are in a much better place.
2. A big game for Dalvin Cook
We wrote about Dallas’s rushing defense and what it means for Sunday’s game here, but if you’re more of a cliff notes person, we’ve got you covered.
In short, the Cowboys have been terrible against the run. The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers combined for 447 rushing yards over the past two weeks and Dallas allows the fourth-most rushing yards (143.1) despite facing three of the four worst rushing offenses.
Parsons hinted after the Cowboys’ loss to Green Bay last week that players have been “doing their own thing” which has created massive lanes to run through. That plays right into the hands of Cook, who has become more of a boom-or-bust runner over the past several seasons.
As evidenced by an 81-yard touchdown run last week, Cook still has the explosiveness to take a run to the house. If the Cowboys are willing to give him a lane, it could mean a big day for the Vikings’ running back.
3. An even bigger day for Justin Jefferson
Vikings fans may still be trying to figure out how Jefferson made that 4th-and-18 catch against the Bills, but that highlight is just one play from a tremendous season.
Jefferson is currently on pace to become the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiver and he has a good chance of keeping that momentum going when he takes on the Cowboys.
Trevon Diggs ranks 22nd in PFF’s coverage grades this season but he also has allowed 419 yards – the eighth-most in the NFL. His teammate, Anthony Brown ranks ninth with 415 yards allowed.
If that’s not enough for you, consider that Dallas ranks fifth by blitzing on 30.2% of its snaps. That should leave Jefferson all alone with the Cowboys’ secondary which also features Donovan Wilson, who ranks 16th with an 18.9 percent missed tackle percentage and Malik Hooker, who has 36 missed tackles this season.
This should make the quick game extremely effective and could create massive yards after the catch for Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings’ receivers.
4. Dak Prescott under pressure
The Vikings’ pass rush started out this season slow but has worked its way into form over the past several weeks. Minnesota has generated at least a 40 percent pressure rate in five of its past six games.
Za’Darius Smith carried the flag earlier in the season and still leads the NFL with 55 pressures. For reference, San Francisco’s Nick Bosa is second with 45 pressures this season.
What’s terrifying for opponents is that Danielle Hunter has joined the chat. He has three sacks over the past two weeks and five or more pressures in each of his past four games.
This is a big problem for Dallas who enters Sunday’s game ranked 13th in PFF’s offensive line rankings. Zach Martin was the only lineman not to allow multiple pressures in the Cowboys’ loss to Green Bay and could be in for an afternoon even without Dalvin Tomlinson in the lineup.
5. The Vikings continuing their winning streak
When the Vikings arrived in Buffalo last week, they were staring at a four-game gauntlet that included the Bills, Cowboys, the New England Patriots and New York Jets. All four teams are playoff contenders to some degree and presented a challenge for a team who some considered a fluke in their first eight games.
Last Sunday’s win in Buffalo changed that perspective and now the Vikings will get to play the last three games of that stretch at home, where they are 4-0 on the season.
There are concerns heading into Sunday’s game, such as a secondary that will be down Cameron Dantzler (ankle) and Akayleb Evans (concussion) but the Vikings have enough to take down Dallas – especially after the Cowboys blew a 14-point lead in Green Bay last week.
Minnesota has proven incapable of winning a game by more than one score, so it will be closer than expected, but the Vikings should extend their streak to eight games and be ready for a Thanksgiving showdown with the Patriots.
