Cowboys studs and duds: Pollard shines in dominant team win

After a tough loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, all eyes were on how the Dallas Cowboys would respond in Week 11. The Cowboys traveled to the 8-1 Minnesota Vikings with hopes of a statement win. Dallas was able to do just, beating the Vikings 40-3.

All three phases of the game were elite for America’s Team in this matchup. This wire-to-wire victory started with a strip sack from Micah Parsons on the game’s third play. After that Dallas never looked back and had this game on ice halfway through the third quarter.

There are plenty of studs to recognize from this game, but it is hard to find duds. In their best game of the season, almost everyone played great. So the duds will be nitpicked, but you can always find room for improvement even in a big win.

Without further ado, here are the studs and duds from this amazing Cowboys win.

Cowboys studs and duds from Week 11 win over the Vikings

Stud: Micah Parsons, Linebacker

The Cowboys needed someone to set the tone for this game. Look no further than their best defensive player Micah Parsons. The second-year linebacker was awesome in Week 11. He recorded four tackles, two sacks, one tackle for loss, and five quarterback hits. Despite only two of his own, the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year impacted many more of Dallas’ seven sacks.

After last week when Parsons did not get many pass-rush opportunities, he took full advantage of all his opportunities today.

Dud: Kelvin Joseph, Cornerback

With starting cornerback Anthony Brown battling a concussion throughout the week, Kelvin Joseph was the next man up. Unfortunately, he did not look good in his limited snaps. In his very first play on the field, he committed a pass interference penalty. Then, Joseph left the game early due to an illness and never returned.

The expectations were high for Joseph this season after being a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Sadly, Joseph has failed to play at a high level in his NFL career. All the Cowboys can hope is that Joseph continues to improve in a backup role and can help out when called upon.

Stud: Brett Maher, Kicker

Coming into the season, the Cowboys had plenty of question marks surrounding who would be their kicker. But, Brett Maher won the job in training camp and has been nothing short of fantastic this season. On Sunday, he nailed all four of his field goal attempts, including a 60-yarder right before halftime.

Maher continues to excel as the Dallas kicker and the strength of his leg is impressive. Not only did he make a 60-yard field goal but he also hit from 53 and 50 yards out. The 32-year-old accounted for 16 points in the game and was a big reason the Cowboys built up such an early lead.

Dud: Kavontae Turpin, Kick Returner

Remember when I was talking about nitpicking? Well here is the first taste of it. KaVontae Turpin has been very good as a kick and punt returner this year for the Cowboys. But, he did muff a punt on Sunday which is something we have not seen all season. Luckily, the Cowboys were able to fall on the ball and no further damage ensued.

Turpin looks poised to break one of these returns for a touchdown at some point. As long as he keeps getting chances, he should pay big dividends later on in the season. Hopefully, his muff in this game was just a one-time blunder and we will not see any more of those this year.

Stud: Dak Prescott, Quarterback

America’s Team’s star quarterback took a lot of criticism for last week’s loss in Green Bay. But, he silenced all the doubters after an elite performance against the Vikings. Prescott completed 22 of 25 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns in the game. He also led the Cowboys on eight scoring drives. All of Prescott’s passes were on point from the start and he orchestrated the offense beautifully.

This was the type of bounce-back performance the Cowboys needed as they head into their Thanksgiving game on Thursday. Prescott was playing at such an elite level on Sunday that his CPOE (completion percentage over expected) was +21.8% which is an otherworldly number.

Dallas will be a very tough team to beat if QB1 can continue to play at this level.

Dud: Dalton Schultz, Tight End

Ever since Dak Prescott returned to the lineup Dalton Schultz has been more effective. But, on Sunday he missed a chance to give the Cowboys an early 6-0 lead in the game when he tried catching a pass one-handed in the endzone. There is no question it was a tough catch, but Schultz has made plenty of those before.

In the grand scheme of things, the Cowboys settling for three points instead of seven did not matter. But later on in the season, those extra points could make all the difference in a game. Schultz did make a nice block to spring Tony Pollard for a touchdown later in the game, but he most definitely wants that endzone target back.

Ultimate Stud: Tony Pollard, Running Back

Even with Ezekiel Elliott returning to the lineup, Tony Pollard was the best weapon on the field for the Cowboys on Sunday. No. 20 rushed the ball 15 times for 80 yards but had the best game of his career receiving the ball.

Pollard caught six passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 68-yard touchdown reception. The 25-year-old continues to dominate for the Cowboys as this was his third straight game with over 100 total yards and a touchdown.

Both Pollard and Elliott had tons of success in this game and the workload splits are what we should see more of moving forward. Pollard had 21 touches compared to Elliott’s 16, but the latter excelled at short yardage and goal-line plays. In his contract year, the former Memphis Tiger continues to show why he is one of the most underrated players in the entire NFL.

CBS cuts away from Cowboys-Viking game during Dallas blowout

The Dallas Cowboys were beating the Minnesota Vikings so badly that CBS chose to cut the national broadcast before the 3rd quarter even ended.