For the second consecutive week, NFL fans will get to watch the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. This week they take on the Minnesota Vikings in a huge NFC matchup. Both teams presently have a winning record, but one team is trending upwards while the other is heading in the wrong direction.
Let’s preview the game and pick a winner.
Dallas Cowboys (10-1)
The Cowboys have the best record in the NFL at 10-1. Since their Week 1 loss to the New York Giants, they’ve won 10 consecutive games, and have their sights on home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have been playing phenomenal this season. Prescott has just two interceptions this entire season, and Elliot has an NFL leading 1,199 rushing yards. The big matchup will be the Cowboys rushing attack against the Vikings run defense, which has not been playing very well lately. If the Cowboys control the clock, they should be just fine.
Dez Bryant and Jason Witten are in for a challenge, but this isn't their first rodeo.
Defensively, the Cowboys did get a little exposed against the Washington Redskins last week. Kirk Cousins had a great day against this Cowboys secondary, which allowed 449 passing yards. The Vikings don’t have All-Pro receivers, but the Cowboys secondary is still very beatable.
The Cowboys play the Giants next week.
Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
What is going on in Minnesota? The Vikings jumped out to a 5-0 start, but it’s been nothing but doom and gloom over the last two months. The Vikings are just 1-5 in their last six games. They went from being the No. 1 seed to not even being a wild card team. Maybe giving up a first round draft pick for Sam Bradford was a mistake after all.
But let’s not completely give up on the Vikings just yet because they do play defense. The Vikings rank No. 2 in points allowed and No. 3 in yards allowed. If the Vikings can force turnovers and convert on third down, they have a great shot at beating the Cowboys. Easy said than done, obviously. Don’t be surprised if the Vikings decide to stack the box against the Cowboys run.
The Vikings play the Jacksonville Jaguars next week.
Schedule
The Cowboys and Vikings will play each other on Thursday night at 8:25 p.m. ET at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can watch a live game stream here.
Prediction
The Vikings need this game a lot more than the Cowboys do. With their sixth loss in seven games, their season is pretty much over. The Vikings defense will keep them in the game, but Bradford will let them down just as he has in the past. The Cowboys offensive line and ground game will take over the second half making it almost impossible for the Vikings to score.
Cowboys win, 27-17
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