Week 13 Preview: Minnesota Vikings vs Dallas Cowboys
The Vikings have now lost five of their last six games and very little positive to come away with after their latest debacle to the Detroit Lions. Mike Zimmer has now lost four of six games against Jim Caldwell even though most suggest Zimmer to be a better coach.
The Vikings now return home once again to face the red-hot Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have won 10 straight games after defeating the Washington Redskins 31-26 on Thanksgiving Day.
The last time the Cowboys won a regular season game in Minnesota was in the 1995 season; that one needed Emmitt Smith to come up big in overtime. That coincidentally was also the last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl as well.
The game between the two storied franchises can be watched this Thursday on NBC at 7:25 pm, Central Time.
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Essentials to win the game
As impossible as it may seem for the Vikings to win this game, if they can make life miserable for the two outstanding rookies, they have a chance. That being said, the two rookies, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are protected by one of the best offensive lines in all the NFL. Should the Vikings underachieving defensive line pressure Prescott while keeping contain in their rush lanes, this could be much closer than most expect.
Either the Vikings defense has to hold the Cowboys offense to around 14 points or their offense has to put up the amount of points they only have been able to dream about. Should one of the two mention feats happen, the Vikings may be able to salvage their season with the unexpected victory.
Possible downfalls to avoid
Turnovers have been one of the few areas in which the Vikings have been doing a great job. They still have the second best turnover ratio in the NFL with a plus-12 turnover ratio. As rough as the offense has seemed, they have only given the ball away eight times total. The downfall to avoid here would be continuing the trend of taking the ball away and avoid giving the ball away.
The easiest action for the Vikings to do right now would be hang their head, pack it in against the best team in the NFL and try for a 4-0 record after this game. That may even be easier now that their head coach will be sitting in the hospital instead of on the sidelines. The Vikings must avoid, at all costs, hanging their heads and giving up in this one. The fight must go on, even without their fearless leader at the helm.
Player spotlight
Not necessarily a “player” yet it will be interesting to see what Mike Priefer does as the interim head coach tonight. His mentality is quite a bit like Zimmer’s yet he may be a bit more aggressive considering the foe they are up against.
Of course most know about the Cowboys’ dynamic rookies Prescott and Elliott, their veterans Dez Bryant and Jason Witten and their amazing offensive line. If all of those weapons are accounted for, wideouts Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams tend to run free for a big first down or a score.
With Terence Newman facing the team that drafted him many years ago, he would love to be fully healthy; yet, he is listed as questionable for this game. With Mackensie Alexander ruled out already, Trae Waynes will need to step up in a huge way against a star-studded offense with receivers that can line up anywhere on the field.
Can Sam Bradford have a bounce back game after saying they have to push the ball downfield this week? If he does, the Vikings must have taken advantage of Dallas’ pass rush that ranks 25th in sacks this season.
Game Projection
According to most pundits, this game goes one of two ways. The Vikings keep it close and lose or the Cowboys win this one going away. Although it is easy to see why; this game easily has the looks of a blowout, the Vikings can win this game.
The Cowboys use their superior running game early and often in every game to get on top early. Elliott’s vision and usage of the pulling guard nets him big gains against an over pursuing defense of the Vikings.
The Vikings will then give up a few big plays on play-action that will ultimately be the death of them in this game. Bryant is still one of the best receivers in the game and will prove it in jump ball situations versus a banged up secondary.
When the Vikings have the ball, scoring touchdowns must be the mindset yet going for it on fourth down is not a must when in field goal range. If they plan on going for it on fourth down, they need to play for it on third down by gaining some positive yardage.
It is even more disturbing watching the Vikings throw on third-and-long situations when receivers’ routes consistently come up short of the first down marker. The offensive line should be able to stave off the pass rush of the Cowboys for most of this game; thus, making it easier to keep drives going.
However much success the Vikings’ offense should and may have in this game, it will all come down to if the Vikings’ defense can contain the stout run game of the Cowboys. At first glance, this game has the looks of a blowout; yet the Vikings cannot be counted out.
The Vikings will get to Prescott a couple times tonight but that will not be enough as the Cowboys run-game is too much for anyone to handle. The Vikings keep it close as Diggs comes up with a stat-line that will have fantasy owners smiling ear-to-ear.
This game should be close until the fourth quarter where the offensive line of the Cowboys usually feast on even the most stout defensive fronts. Even the defensive line and a big game from Diggs cannot keep the Vikings above five hundred as they fall 24-17 to the Cowboys.
— Justin Ekstrom can be followed on Twitter @thesportscrib21 and be sure to follow and comment about vikings32 on Facebook and Twitter.
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