Cowboys start slow, Vikings win though: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

A few observations from the Dallas Cowboys loss to the Minnesota Vikings. There was some good, some bad and some downright ugly play.

The Dallas Cowboys lost their fourth game of the year on Sunday night when the Minnesota Vikings beat them 28-24. Reaffirming their disturbing trend, the Cowboys started the game real ugly down 14-0 at the end of the first quarter but were able to fight back and actually take the lead in the second half.

The Week Ten contest against the Vikings was like most football games with plays you loved and plays you would love to forget. Below we’ll breakdown the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the Cowboys’ fourth loss of the season.

The Appears Good but in Reality is not so Good 

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for nearly four hundred yards and wide receivers Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb each had more than one hundred yards receiving. After a very slow start (again), Dallas found a groove when passing the ball against a depleted Vikings secondary.

However, the reality for Dallas is when their quarterback throws for more than four hundred yards, the Cowboys almost always lose. The ‘Boys have a four win and nine loss record in their sixty year history when the team has more than 400 yards passing.

Prescott looked very good finding the open receiver most of the game. On the second last offensive drive of the game, NBC Analyst Cris Collinsworth gushed over Prescott’s 20-yard pass to Cobb calling it the throw of the night for Dak.

Prescott and Cooper have mastered the sideline catch with Cooper catching three passes leaving you amazed that he was able to get both feet down for a completed pass. NBC was great at showing the replay after each pass including the touchdown that put the Cowboys in the lead in the third quarter.

For the game, Prescott found six different receivers for 397 yards passing. His 60.9 percent completion percentage was much lower than his season 69.6 percent average completing only 28 of 46 passes.

Prescott was clutch on third downs passing the ball. He converted nine of fourteen third downs including two greater than ten yards to go. Yet, the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal when his pass to tight end Jason Witten fell incomplete on a third and goal from the Vikings five yard line with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter.

What would have been a great night for Prescott turned into a bitter disappointment with the loss. It only got worse from here for America’s Team.