Week 8 Sunday Night Football Preview: Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings

Last year, the Cowboys and Vikings combined for a high-scoring affair despite the Cowboys being without starting quarterback Dak Prescott due to injury. This year, the Vikings will again face a Cowboys team facing questions about the health of Prescott.

Dallas Cowboys

Coming into this game, the Cowboys are unsure as to which quarterback will be starting for them on Sunday Night Football. Dak Prescott is dealing with a calf strain and is said to be a game-time decision for the matchup with Minnesota. If Prescott is unable to go, it will be backup quarterback Cooper Rush that will be tasked with taking the snaps as the team’s backup, which will likely determine how effective Dallas is offensively.

The differences in the Cowboys’ offense will be noticeable if Rush is forced into action instead of Prescott. The passing attack will be less threatening for Dallas, which will allow the Vikings’ defense to key in on Zeke Elliott and the Cowboys’ rushing attack more than they would otherwise. And with Rush taking first-team snaps in practice this week, that could be what we see when this game starts.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings do not have the same injury issues at the quarterback position, as Kirk Cousins is good to go for this game, for better or worse. The Vikings enter this matchup at 3-3 on the season, winning three of their last four games after dropping their first two. This week, Minnesota will be hoping to face Cooper Rush instead of Dak Prescott but will need to remember that a backup quarterback does not equal a win.

Minnesota, who is favored by 2.5 points coming into this weekend’s game, lost to an Andy Dalton-led Cowboys team last year. They allowed 31 points, with Dalton delivering three touchdown passes in a game where the Vikings lost as seven-point favorites going into the game. Minnesota will hope to use that result as fuel to come out with an edge in this game, no matter who plays quarterback.

Keys to the Game

For the Cowboys, the defense is going to be a big key to this game, given their current quarterback situation. Dallas will either be rolling with an injured Prescott or a backup quarterback in this game, which will likely depress their scoring output. As a result, the defense of the Cowboys will need to come to play and limit the performance of the Minnesota offense to give the team a chance to win.

On the Minnesota side, the biggest key to this game is going to be the performance of Kirk Cousins. Cousins is playing against a Cowboys defense that has made big plays by forcing turnovers throughout this season. Cousins will need to be sharp in this game to avoid falling into the same trap that several quarterbacks have already fallen into and to keep the Vikings moving in the right direction all game long.