3 Cowboys players to watch in Week 11 against the Vikings

After a disappointing loss in Week 10 to the Packers, the Dallas Cowboys will look to rebound against a dangerous 8-1 Vikings squad. Minnesota is coming off their biggest win of the season, an overtime victory in Buffalo where they beat the Bills 33-30.

As for the Cowboys, they’re coming off their worst loss of the season. Their overtime defeat to Green Bay a week ago was frustrating on many levels.

Dallas had a hard time stopping Green Bay’s rushing attack as they allowed 207 yards on the ground on 39 carries. They also blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and penalties were once again a significant factor in the team’s loss.

On an important 2nd and 10 in Green Bay territory in overtime, guard Connor McGovern committed a holding penalty that negated a 16-yard run by Malik Davis. The run would have put the Cowboys at the GB 26.

But instead, the holding call moved Dallas back and led to a missed opportunity on fourth down just three plays later.

It was a tough loss for the Cowboys, especially against a team they should have beaten. This led to multiple Cowboys players calling out teammates after the game, according to reports. But Mike McCarthy views this as a good thing, making the guys hungry for a victory.

The Cowboys will have their hands full facing the Vikings on the road. Coming into this game, they have won four of their last five games against Minnesota, including the last two in 2021 and 2020. In both those contests, Dallas started a backup quarterback.

Last season, Cooper Rush beat the Vikings 20-16 and in 2020, Andy Dalton took care of business in Minnesota winning 31-28.

This time though, Dak Prescott will be under center for the Cowboys hoping to get Dallas back into the win column. In a big game against one of the top teams in the NFL, America’s Team has to step up.

Here are three Cowboys players to watch in Week 11 against the Vikings that could help Dallas come away with the victory.

3 Cowboys players to watch in Week 11 against the Vikings

3. Trevon Diggs

Trevon Diggs versus Justin Jefferson. An All-Pro cornerback versus one of the game’s best wide receivers. This will be a matchup that is highlighted all game for both teams.

For any cornerback, covering Jefferson is no easy feat. The Vikings’ star wideout leads the NFC with 1,060 yards and is coming off a 10-catch, 193-yard and one-touchdown performance.

But the last time these teams met last year, Diggs got the better of Jefferson. Diggs held Jefferson to one catch on three yards. But the All-Pro corner didn’t shadow him the entire game.

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That likely will change this time around for the third-year corner. As the theme has been this season, Diggs has often drawn the responsibility of shadowing the opposing team’s top wide receiver option.

He did it for most of the game against Cooper Kupp in the slot in Week 5 (42.6%), AJ Brown in Week 6 (65.2%), and just last week against Allen Lazard (68.4%). Diggs did allow 173 yards on five catches and a touchdown to Kupp but managed to hold both Brown and Lazard to just one catch in both of their respective matchups.

Last week, he was targeted only once by Aaron Rodgers, which shows that quarterbacks are finally starting to be more scared of him.

Diggs will now look to shut down Jefferson, again. It’s an interesting matchup that could determine the outcome of this game.