The Dallas Cowboys (2-7) come off their bye to take on the Minnesota Vikings (4-5) in Week 11. Some would say the Cowboys have been playing better football over the course of the last few weeks and may be hitting a stride. Some will still cringe at the fact that the Cowboys defense is about to face the NFL’s leading rusher in Dalvin Cook. Either way, with a win this week, believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys would be back in serious conversation to take home the NFC East in 2020. Its 2020, what else did you actually expect to read here?
The staff hit a clean sweep in Week 9 as all writers took the Steelers to win. Interesting to note, all of them had the Steelers winning in convincing fashion. The lowest predicted margin of victory was 14 and the fighting Cowboys were just a play away from possibly winning that game. Let’s see if any of the staff have high hopes for the team coming off a bye.
KD Drummond (3-6): Vikings 21, Cowboys 16
The Cowboys offense should be better under Andy Dalton, but will they be? Nothing that was put on tape in his two starts indicates he’s able to command the offense behind the offensive line as currently constituted. The return of Brandon Knight could help, if it means removing Terence Steele from the starting lineup. Confidence in this happening though is low.
On defense, it’s scary to think how embarrassed Jaylon Smith could end up trying to stop Dalvin Cook. It’s a shame that Trevon Diggs won’t get a chance to SEC reminisce against Justin Jefferson. In the end, that may prove to be the biggest issue in a fifth straight loss. As easy as it is to disrespect Kurt Grossman, it’s still hard to see a Dallas win.
Dave Sturchio (4-5): Cowboys 20, Vikings 17
I started nailing some of my picks when I started betting against the Cowboys. With an early announcement by the team that Andy Dalton would be the starting quarterback for this game I felt very weary. I’m not saying Garrett Gilbert is the answer to our woes in 2020 but I felt a tad bit of momentum even after a loss to the Steelers.
Mike McCarthy is historically good after a bye week. The Vikings didn’t really impress anyone with their win over the Bears. If the Cowboys can contain Dalvin Cook to 100 yards or fewer, I actually like the Cowboys here. Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen pose as a problem but Kirk Cousins is throwing them the ball. Give me the Cowboys 20-17. You like that?!
Ben Grimaldi (6-3) Cowboys 23, Vikings 17
The Vikings are coming in hot as winners of three games in a row, and the Cowboys, well, you all know where they’re at. So you might be asking yourself how do the Cowboys walk out of Minnesota with a win?
Easy answer is rest. The Cowboys have it and the Vikings don’t. Minnesota just played a hard fought game over a rival on Monday night, which usually takes a little bit out of you for the next week. The Cowboys will take advantage of fresh legs against a sluggish Vikings.
Dallas has also turned things around in the last two weeks and despite losing both games, they’ve played markedly better. The Cowboys will slow RB Dalvin Cook and make just enough plays on offense to win the game, which might upset some fans of Team Tank.
Todd Brock (6-3): Cowboys 27, Vikings 24
The Cowboys are coming off a long rest week. The Vikings are coming off a short work week. In this season of sadness, that may be the most encouraging tidbit for Cowboys fans to hang their hats on as they enter this Week 11 matchup. Minnesota has beaten all three of their NFC Central rivals over the past three weeks and gained valuable ground in their division; is it possible that they’ll subconsciously downshift against a Cowboys squad hanging out around the bottom of every set of power rankings in the world? It’s possible.
Kirk Cousins has never scared Dallas fans; he only surpassed Dak Prescott in 2020 passing yardage this past Monday night. Dalvin Cook, however, is a major problem. The league’s leading rusher is likely licking his chops at the prospect of facing the NFL’s second-worst run defense. This game will help demonstrate how well (or poorly) the Cowboys’ current coaching staff can recalibrate the team for the season’s back half; if they come out flat- after a week of rest, recovery, and extra preparation- and doesn’t show to be building off their best effort of the year against Pittsburgh, things have the potential to get really ugly around the facility… even if it does help cement a coveted top-five draft pick. That said, I think the Cowboys find a way to squeak one out. Barely.
Asa Henry (5-4) Vikings 28, Cowboys 24
The Dallas Cowboys, as mentioned by my colleagues, are in a good spot this week, with Dallas coming off a bye and the Vikings narrowly defeating the Bears on Monday night. The Cowboys have begun to string together some of their best efforts defensively in their last two outings, and there has finally been a few weeks of continuity on the offensive line even if it’s not the ideal five guys. Dalton to Gilbert is likely a wash, but I think it makes sense for Dallas to keep Dalton on a short leash to see more about Gilbert’s abilities as a potential Dak Prescott backup moving forward.
The Vikings are another team stacking good weeks and building on success as the season goes along. The Vikings in recent years have been known as a tough defensive team, but their identity now lies on the other side of the ball. Dalvin Cook, arguably the best running back in the league, is the engine for an offense that also features Adam Thielen nd rookie sensation Justin Jefferson.
I think this is a hard fought game that boils down to a handful of stops, and while the Cowboys run defense looked unrecognizable (in a good way) last week against Pittsburgh, Dallas still allows 157 rush YPG on the season, good for second-to-last in the league. Minnesota rushes for 153 YPG, a top five mark in the league. The Vikings ability to sustain drives on the ground helps them hold off another feisty effort from the Cowboys. Vikings 28, Cowboys 24.
Dan Morse (7-2) Cowboys 16, Vikings 24
The Cowboys played a really close game against the undefeated Steelers, then got a bye, and now are getting Andy Dalton back. I know, I know, Dalton hasn’t been good this year and it was Garrett Gilbert at the helm in the Pittsburgh game, but Dalton has the track record that he can be at least an average quarterback. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the Vikings have rebounded tremendously these last three weeks after their 1-5 start. Their wins against the Packers, Lions, and Bears actually put them in the top tier in terms of EPA/play on offense and defense, per rbsdm.com.
The Cowboys are still primed to put up a good fight, but I think they’re hitting Minnesota at the wrong time of year to steal a win in this one.
Zeke Berrera (4-5) Cowboys 17 - Vikings 24
After a week’s respite, time again for the Cowboys to take their medicine. Maybe this is a trap game for Minnesota given where these two teams are heading into Week 11, but ultimately I think this game ends in yet another Cowboys loss.
The Dallas defense has trended upward in recent weeks, but expect Cook to run all over them like so many great RBs already have this season: D’Ernest Johnson (95 yards), Boston Scott (70 yards), Kenyan Drake (164 yards), Antonio Gibson (124 yards). Cook’s rushing totals form his last three games? 163, 206, and 96. It’s going to be ugly.
This game will be more valuable for the Cowboys from the prospective in seeing what Andy Dalton and Chidobe Awuzie can give them, and helping them ensure a premium pick in the upcoming draft.
Julius Settles (5-4) Cowboys 22, Vikings 19
The last time we got to watch this team play football they played their best offensive game since losing Dak Prescott for the season, and defensively they played their most impressive game thus far. Two weeks later and the Cowboys remain in striking distance to claim the NFC East, which is absolutely absurd.
Nonetheless, Priority 1 versus the Vikings is to contain Dalvin Cook, who has been stellar this year running for 130 yards or more and a touchdown four times this season. The Cowboys have done a much better job playing the run over the last three games with the combination of Antwan Woods and Neville Gallimore. The Cowboys again need to be discipline in their run fits and must get Cook on the ground when they get to him. I believe the best path to win this game is to force Kirk Cousins to beat you, and despite having the weapons Cousins can be wildly inconsistent.
I believe the Cowboys offense will be improved this time around with Andy Dalton starting but they must take shots downfield versus a banged up Vikings secondary. The Cowboys will capitalize on some red zone trips and win a close game improving to 3-7 on the season.
