Inside The Star
The Dallas Cowboys will play yet another Primetime game when they host the Minnesota Vikings (5-8) this Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
HC Brian Schottenheimer and his team are fighting for their playoff lives, and the easiest path to the postseason tournament is to control what they can control.
That means the Cowboys must lock in and win each of their last four games, starting with the J.J. McCarthy-led Vikings.
Football is all about matchups, as every NFL team has the talent to win on any given Sunday, regardless of the amount of blue-chip talent.
Don’t let the Vikings record fool you. A 31-0 shutout win over the Washington Commanders last week has the team playing with confidence.
Whether or not that confidence can boost individual matchups remains to be seen.
Here are three key matchups the Cowboys must exploit if they want to leave the stadium 7-6-1 Sunday night, and that much closer to a playoff berth.
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has been playing great football this season, as evidenced by his league-leading 3,637 passing yards through 14 weeks.
Any opposing defensive coordinator knows that in order to disrupt the powerful Cowboys’ offensive attack, he must get to Prescott in the pocket.
Unfortunately for most defensive coordinators, they soon find out that doing so comes with consequences.
Prescott is one of the most efficient quarterbacks versus the blitz, leading the league in completion percentage and touchdowns when under duress.
Brian Flores loves to bring blitzes, so if Dak Prescott can continue his efficient ways versus the blitz, the Cowboys offense can do enough to win the game.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Vikings’ best weapon has to be WR Justin Jefferson.
Spotty quarterback play the past couple of weeks has limited Jefferson’s impact, but a recipe with the Dallas Cowboys’ defense is often a remedy to get offenses back on track.
Matt Eberflus’ soft coverage on defense opens up the field underneath, allowing for short catches and lots of YAC (yards after catch), something Jefferson thrives doing.
DaRon Bland will likely draw blanket coverage on Jefferson, as he has been a much better defender when playing man coverage.
Hopefully Eberflus will let Bland do what he does best: shadow opposing top pass-catchers.
If Bland can keep coverage on Jefferson to match the inefficiency of the past couple of weeks (4 receptions for 15 yards), it would cripple one pillar of the Vikings’ offensive attack.
That usually spells victory for the Dallas Cowboys.
The final individual matchup remains on defense for the Cowboys.
LB DeMarvion Overshown has been fully cleared, and no longer on a snap count entering Sunday Night Football.
Overshown has the speed and agility to contain a player who has broken the Cowboys’ defense seemingly every time he plays them.
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