Blogging The Boys
Dallas drops their second straight, getting upset by the Vikings.
Second Quarter
Getting the lead back didn’t take much time as Dallas was already on the Minnesota 1-yard line when the second quarter got underway. Prescott got things going with a 19-yard pass to Ryan Flournoy and a 30-yard connection to Lamb, but it was Malik Davis who picked up the final 12 yards. He did so on three carries, the last of which saw him bully his way up the middle and into the end zone for his second touchdown of the season.
The seesaw affair continued, and now it was Minnesota’s turn. The Vikings needed 10 plays to travel 75 yards for their next touchdown, but 58 of those came on a bomb to Jordan Addison, who got behind cornerback Caelen Carson. That eventually led to McCarthy completely faking out the Dallas defense and basically walking in untouched from the 1-yard line, the score 14-14.
And that was followed by Minnesota adding another three points on a 29-yard field goal, which came after Aubrey pushed a 51-yard attempt wide left on the Cowboys’ previous possession.
But with 1:48 remaining in the half, that was plenty of time for Prescott and company to give Aubrey another chance. The offense quickly worked its way down to the Minnesota 19-yard line, where the Cowboys kicker split the uprights on a 37-yard attempt to even things up at the break, 17-17.
Dallas’ slim playoff hopes heading into this one are out the door.
The Offensive Issues: No Touchdowns? Good Luck, Boys
If you weren’t pulling your hair out watching the Cowboys’ offense tonight, I salute you, because that was as frustrating a performance as we have seen all season.
To start, the unit looked good. They capitalized on a second-play Quinnen Williams interception with a touchdown drive after a Brandon Aubrey fake field goal, and a relentless effort from Javonte Williams to get in the end zone.
They did punt on the next drive, but after that, they again scored 7, this time with Malik Davis.
At that point, it felt like the offense was good for at least a couple more touchdowns. That assumption could not have been more wrong.
After their second touchdown on their third drive, the Dallas offense kicked six field goals, making four and missing two, and turning it over on downs once.
In short, that just won’t get it down. Despite strong performances from Dak Prescott, Williams, and CeeDee Lamb, Brian Schottenheimer’s play-calling woes and an invisible game from George Pickens did the offense in.
The late-season surge was fun...
