Last season, the Vikings’ game against the Cowboys had playoff implications. Dallas upset Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium without the help of Dak Prescott. Red-headed Cowboys QB Andy Dalton made enough plays to move the chains against a revamped Vikings defense.
This year was different: The red-headed quarterback’s name was Cooper Rush. Other than that, though, the Vikings played a very similar game — all the way down to the team’s disappointing, final offensive drive. Minnesota’s offense stalled out. The Vikings defense didn’t do enough against a Cowboys offense that was not at full strength.
Minnesota (3-4) was not good enough to get lucky against an elite team. Dallas (6-1), dealing with bad injury luck, overcame its faults. These are two franchises that, for now, have different 2021 trajectories.
Vikings fans have every right to be spooked about the rest of 2021 after that performance.