6 major takeaways from the Cowboys’ statement win over the Vikings

What a way to bounce back from a loss. Beat their division-leading rivals by 37 points in their own home. That’s exactly what the Dallas Cowboys did this past weekend, in what looked like the most complete game the team has played so far this season.

The offense? Amazing. The defense? Outstanding. Special teams? Chef’s kiss. It was the best all-around game anyone could ask for from their team. The offense rolled its way to 40 points on 458 total yards, while the defense held the Minnesota Vikings offense, led by Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and Dalvin Cook, to just 183 yards of total offense and three points.

Now, it’s time to dive into what exactly transpired on Sunday and what we learned. There is a ton of positives to take away from the game, and let’s get started with the biggest one.

Highlighting 6 things we learned from the Cowboys’ dominating win over the Vikings

1. This Cowboys team can beat anyone on any given day

The pure dominance this team showed on Sunday was unparalleled to anything we’ve seen this year. Against an 8-1 team, to beat them in their own home in every facet of the game, by the largest margin of victory in a road game in Cowboys history was an unbelievable sight after what we watched last Sunday.

The offense found its balance. The passing game was great, the run game was elite, and they found a role for everybody. From Dak Prescott’s great game to the third and fourth-string tight ends finding a role near the goal line, the offense was nothing short of amazing.

On the defensive side, the team, led by Trevon Diggs, held one of, if not the best receivers in the NFL to just three catches for 33 yards. The only knock was the run defense, as they allowed 6.5 yards per carry to Cook. Fortunately, they abandoned the run when they fell behind big.

When this team plays to its potential, they can beat anybody in the league. The only thing stopping them from making it to and winning a Super Bowl is themselves. Playing disciplined, consistent football will unlock this team’s potential.

2. Tony Pollard is playing himself into a huge payday

This can be seen as both a huge positive and a huge negative, depending on who you are. For the Cowboys this season, this is a huge positive, as Tony Pollard’s play has greatly raised both the floor and ceiling of this offense.

For other teams who are one playmaker away from putting themselves into Super Bowl contention over the coming years, this is also a positive. This also comes to the Cowboys’ front office as a huge negative. Let me explain.

The Cowboys only have so much money, unless they want to use the cap in the way the New Orleans Saints have over the past several years. If they choose that route, they will end up in the situation the Saints are currently in, with no wiggle room and no draft capital. As they will most certainly not go that route, this means Pollard’s days with the team are likely numbered.

The front office is surely regretting giving Ezekiel Elliott his big payday, so it’s unlikely they will want to do the same for Pollard. Unless they can convince Pollard to take a hometown discount, or they decide to franchise tag him, Cowboys fans may want to enjoy his play here in Dallas just a little bit more as they could be ending as soon as this season.

3. This was the best Dak Prescott has looked since last year

Last season, Prescott ended the regular season on a tear. In his final three games, he totaled over 850 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He looked the best he had all season, and he played a lot like that against the Vikings on Sunday.

No. 4 finished the contest 22-of-25 with 276 passing yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and 16 rushing yards, most of which came on a third-down conversion. He looked poised and clearly made no mistakes with his throws.

Given his yards-per-attempts as well, these were no dink-and-dunk passes. He was making accurate throws down the field. On passes over 20 yards, the signal-caller went 3-3 for 130 yards and a touchdown.

To further dive into his deep passes, in Week 11, Prescott was the second-highest graded passer on deep throws according to PFF, with a 96.7 grade. He looked great. He looked more comfortable than in recent weeks, so hopefully, this is something he can keep going into the Thanksgiving matchup against the New York Giants.

4. This team missed Ezekiel Elliott last week

Against the Packers last week, the team could’ve really used Ezekiel Elliott. Not necessarily getting 15-20 carries or anything, but rather in that goal line and short-yardage situations. This week, he really showed what it would have been like if they had him last week. He really could have been the difference in that game.

While his per-attempt numbers aren’t great, he was certainly a plus for this offense on Sunday. He finished the contest with just 42 rushing yards on 15 carries, for an average of 2.8 yards per carry. However, the former No. 4 overall pick had two touchdowns in the game.

This is in no way to damper Pollard’s day, but Zeke showed why he should be getting touches as well. In a drive near the goal line, TP tried twice to get into the endzone but failed both times. They then tried with Zeke, and they were able to get six on the board.

His power and effort are what Elliott takes pride in now. He’s not going to be the guy who makes defenders miss as he did in 2016, but he will be the guy who makes that extra effort to get another yard, make the block in pass protection to keep No. 4 upright and be able to fall into the endzone.

5. Dan Quinn answered the call

Last week after the Packers game, I challenged Dan Quinn in my takeaways article. I pointed out how the defense needs to do something about how poorly they’ve played since Prescott returned from injury, aside from the Lions game.

Well, he must’ve read my article and taken my challenge seriously because he answered the call on Sunday. He was able to have these men ready to take on one of the most potent offenses in the league, starting at the line of scrimmage.

The defensive line was legitimately unstoppable on Sunday. They managed 26 pressures on 37 dropbacks against the Vikes. It was an unbelievable performance by the defensive line, where everyone was able to feast, with sacks coming from Micah Parsons, Dorance Armstrong, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler, and even Jayron Kearse.

The secondary and linebackers were also stout as well, holding the Vikings to just 110 yards through the air. The run defense was still suspect, but they still did a great job of stopping drives well before they reached anywhere near the Cowboy endzone. Props to DQ for having this group ready.

6. Micah Parsons needs to become a full-time edge rusher

Micah Parsons is one of the best football players in the world. He is very good at several things, including tackling, coverage, and stopping the run. However, he is special in one area, and that’s getting to the quarterback.

This defense is at its best when Parsons is unleashed to go after the opposing team’s quarterback. He had yet another outstanding game, one where he had two sacks for the fifth time this season. One of those sacks came against one of the best young tackles in the game, Christian Darrisaw, which also ended in a fumble recovered by the ‘Boys.

In games where No. 11 has less than 25 pass rush snaps, the team is 1-3. It’s also worth noting that the team is 4-1 in games where Parsons has a sack (in this case, two). The former first-round pick is a complete game wrecker as a pass rusher, and he needs to be there full-time.

I understand that they want to stop the run, but after the past two weeks, it’s clear this defense is at its best when Parsons is coming off the edge. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate is on pace for 17 sacks this season. Unleash him.

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