Dallas Cowboys 40-3 Minnesota Vikings, Pollard and Zeke touchdowns, summary: score, stats, highlights | NFL Week 11
Cowboys beat Vikings
Cowboys deliver Vikings' second defeat of the season
It wasn't just a loss. It was a blowout. The Cowboys move on to 7-3 after they dominated the Vikings on the road to win 40-3. The Vikings are now 8-2. Their only other loss came from the Eagles, who were undefeated untll last week.
The Cowboys dominated in every area, never allowing the Vikings a touchdown and holding them to just one field goal. Meanwhile, the Cowboys had four touchdowns of their own plus four field goals.
Cowboys running backs dominate against Vikings
The Dallas Cowboys were sure happy to have Ezekiel Elliott back today. There has been talk since before the season started that Tony Pollard is the clear number one, Zeke isn't who he used to be, etc. While it's true that Zeke doesn't look the same as he once did and that Pollard held his own just fine without Zeke...why take two touchdowns when you could have four?
Pollard carried the ball 15 times for 80 yards and led the team in receiving with six catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns; Elliott had 15 carries for 42 yards and two touchdowns.
Receiver CeeDee Lamb had five receptions for 45 yards, Prescott was 22 for 25, and threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Kicker Brett Maher was extremely effective as well, going four for four on field goals and even making a 60-yarder twice after a review negated the first.
In the end, the Cowboys racked up a total of 458 offensive yards and held the Vikings to 183 total offensive yards.
Which team is for real?
People were asking "are the Vikings for real?" considering their 8-1 record and close-call wins. They seemed to answer that last week with an OT win against the Bills. But today's blowout loss to the Cowboys seems to emphasize the question.
Indeed, it would seem the Cowboys were the team out to prove they are for real after losing to the Packers last week in embarrassing fashion. In this rebound game, the Dallas defense and Dallas offense was out to impress, with the Elliott-Pollard duo dominating the endzone, and the defense putting constant pressure on the Vikings.
The Cowboys defense finished with seven sacks. Micah Parsons and Dorance Armstrong each had two.
Historic loss
The Vikings 40-3 loss to the Cowboys was the fifth-largest loss ever for the team. It was also the biggest road win in the history of the Cowboys' team.
What now?
Both the Cowboys and the Vikings will have a short week as they both play on Thanksgiving Day this Thursday. The Cowboys will host the New York Giants and the Vikings will host the New England Patriots.
END GAME
Vikings at 4th and 1, and that's game. The Cowboys defeat the Vikings by a landslide.
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
Vikings have the ball on offense, Nwangwu was tackled by Gallimore for no gain at the Minnesota 16, 2nd and 10. Two minutes left to play and the Vikings haven't been able to get a TD all day. The Cowboys, though, have racked up four TDs of their own.
Dallas gets Neutral Zone Infraction on Gallimore
Cowboys held to 4th and 3, punt it back to Vikings
Rush passes to Davis for a 14-yard gain and the 1st down at the Cowboys 38
Cowboys take out Prescott, put in Rush at quarterback
Parsons is back in for Dallas and seems to be just fine - he nearly sacked Mullens on 3rd down, got close enough to put the pressure on. Vikings held to 4th and 3 and they punt it away.
Mullens throws it 14 yards to Reagor
The Vikings have taken out Cousins and put in Mullens at quarterback
Cowboys get to 4th down at the 32 and Maher makes a 50-yard field goal. Dallas is dominating the Vikings with a 37-point lead. 10:04 left to play.
Maher 50-yard field goal is GOOD!
Davis is making moves now, he picks up 8, then 9 to take the Cowboys to the Vikings 32
Pollard gets 17 yards to start the final quarter
END 3RD QUARTER
Dallas gets the ball back, Gallup gets his 3rd catch for a pickup of 19 yards
Dallas' Parsons is limping off the field...uh-oh
Cousins SACKED by Armstrong for a loss of 3
Vikings get a second FalseStart call in a row, this time on O'Neal. They are not helping themselves here...
3rd and 20
Vikings get False Start call on Schlottmann to bring them to 3rd and 15
Cousins passes deep to Osborn but it's incomplete, 2nd and 10
Illegal Use of Hands on Dallas gives Vikings the 1st down
Brown knocks Cousins' pass into the air for an incomplete pass, Vikings at 2nd and 10
Hockenson gets another 11 and another 1st down
Cook gets free for a gain of 11 before he's taken down by Fowler
On the return, the ball came loose but the Vikings were able to recover it
Vikings D hold Dallas off, they go 3 and out after Peterson crushes Lamb for a loss of 2 to bring them to 4th and 6 and Dallas returns it
Diggs brings down Hockenson at the 25 and the Vikings punt it at 4th and 15
Yet another penalty on Vikings, Delay of Game, 3rd and 25
Cousins SACKED by Kearse for a loss of 10. On the next play, Diggs gets so close to intercepting it but bats it down instead. Vikings are suddenly at 3rd and 20.
Cook gets pickup of 11, but gets an Unsportsmanlike Conduct call for taunting. Redo 1st down
Zeke gets his second TD of the day. The Cowboys are happy with Pollard, but even happier to have both their star RBS with Zeke back too after missing the last two weeks. Noah Brown set up the touchdown after a 35-yard catch. Zeke ran it in 1 yard. Maher's PAT was good. Cowboys are dominating the Vikings with 8:15 to go in the 3rd quarter.
COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!
The call stands - 35-yard catch by Brown brings Cowboys to 1st and goal
Elliott gets 5 yards on two plays and Prescott makes a deep pass to Brown. He catches it just short of the end zone and it's called a catch. It looks like a catch, smells like a catch, and talks like a catch, but the Vikings challenge it so we'll see how they call it.
Vikings punt it away at 4th and 29 on their own 6. Turpin takes it back 20 yards to the 41 before he's pushed out of bounds.
Hockenson makes the catch from Cousins, but Vikings still have 19 to go on 3rd down and Fowler gets the SACK on Cousins for a loss of 10 yards, 4th down
Vikings' Hockenson gets PassInterference call, 2nd and 26
Lawrence SACKS Cousins for a loss of 7, 2nd and 17
At 3rd and 14, Prescott throws it to Pollard, who's matched up with Martin, but NO ONE could touch him. He breaks off and runs it into the endzone 68 yards to make it a huge lead to start the second half.
COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!!!
And we're back! Dallas gets to receive to start the second half. They start by handing it off to Pollard and Zeke. It's been working so far, but they get a negative play twice in a row to bring them to 3rd and 14.
HALFTIME
Maher isn't even phased by the re-do. He makes a perfect 60-yard kick straight down the middle to put the Cowboys up by 20 going into halftime.
Maher MAKES IT AGAIN! 60 yards!
The ruling on the field stands but now Maher has to re-do the 60-yard attempt. Can he do it another time?? Five out of five?
The Cowboys get down the field enough for a 60-yard field goal attempt by Maher and he makes his fourth of four 60+ attempts. BUT...the officials are reviewing the Lamb catch from before...a little bit late...
Maher 60-yard field goal is GOOD!
Dallas takes 2nd timeout.
Prescott to Schultz for 7...
Prescott scrambles, Lamb MAKES THE CATCH in bounds just barely for a gain of 27 yards!
Prescott to Schultz for 7...
Prescott scrambles, Lamb MAKES THE CATCH in bounds just barely for a gain of 27 yards!
Prescott pass to Pollard, gets out of bounds at the Dallas 24, 1st down
Dallas takes 1st timeout
Prescott screen to Lamb complete for 6 yards
Odighizuwa puts pressure on Cousins who chucks it at the floor, incomplete and 4th and 23. Vikings punt it away.
Cousins under pressure, throws it away. 3rd and 23.
Parsons gets the SACK on Cousins this time for a loss of 8, 2nd and 23
False Start on Vikings' Brandel brings Minnesota to 1st and 15 at Cowboys 49
Cousins to Osborn for a pickup of 5 and another 1st down. Vikings hoping to get into FG range at least.
Where is Jefferson? Ah, there he is!
Cousins pass to Jefferson complete for 15 yards and the 1st down.
Ehh? Parsons nearly sacked Cousins, but stopped himself thinking he'd gotten rid of the ball, but he didn't so Cousins threw it but it's incomplete.
The Cowboys hand it off to Pollard and Schultz makes a huge block to let Pollard break through to take it down the field on a 30-yard sprint to the end zone to put the Cowboys up by even more heading into halftime. 1:43 left in the 2nd quarter.
COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!
Elliott takes it up 3 more yards, 2nd and.7 and Vikings call 2nd timeout.
Vikings call 1st timeout
Zeke gets the 1st down with a gain of 2 yards
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
Dallas has the ball with 2 minutes to go in the 1st half. They're at 3rd and 1 at the Minnesota 35.
A few short pickups bring the Cowboys to 3rd and 2, but Pollardbreaks through for a gain of 7 to get them the 1st down
Parsons put the pressure on Cousins again. He got the ball away to avoid the sack but he couldn't get anything going. 4th and 8, the Vikings punt it away.
Cousins just barely avoids a sack under pressure and he gets the ball away and Hockenson amazingly catches it 29 yards out but he's out of bounds, incomplete
It took the Cowboys nearly 8 minutes to get down the field just enough for a field goal. Maher made the 53-yard attempt to put the Cowboys up by 10 with 5:31 left in the half.
Maher 53-yard field goal is GOOD!
Elliott gets just 5 yards to take the Cowboys to 3rd and 12 and the pass to Gallup is incomplete. They're at 4th down at the Vikings 35 and Maher will try for 53 yards.
At 3rd and 6, Prescott scrambles away for a pickup of 11 and the 1st down to the Vikings 32