Dallas Cowboys Game Preview: Week 15 vs. Minnesota Vikings

Cover photo: Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Dak

Prescott throws under pressure against the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. Photo credit: Brace Hemmelgarn, Imagn Images.

The Dallas Cowboys host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football from Arlington, Texas, in an attempt to recover from Week 14’s disappointing road loss, 44-30, in Detroit against the Lions and get back on track for a hopeful late season playoff push.

The 6-6-1 Cowboys need to win out and get help - preferably a collapse from the Philadelphia Eagles - to get in the postseason. The Eagles are 8-5, first place in the NFC East, and have lost three consecutive games. The Cowboys’ Week 1 loss at Philadelphia, home tie against the Green Bay Packers, and a disastrous home loss to the Arizona Cardinals are coming back to get them.

While the Cowboys have lost one after winning three in a row, the Vikings are just 1-4 in their last five games, though they are coming off of a 31-0 win against the Washington Commanders, which followed four consecutive losses. At 5-8, the Vikings are last in the NFC North. 

Starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw is questionable for the Vikings, while the Cowboys have tight end Jake Ferguson questionable with a calf and end Jadeveon Clowney questionable with a hamstring. Clowney missed Week 14 at Detroit after registering two sacks on Thanksgiving against the Kansas City Chiefs. Cornerback Trevon Diggs, who has not played since Oct. 12, will not play against the Vikings, while left tackle Tyler Guyton remains out with an ankle. 

Dak Prescott is looking to bounce back from his one touchdown and two interceptions against the Lions, while Vikings’ signal caller J.J. McCarthy will look to build off of his three touchdowns last week against the Commanders versus a Cowboys’ secondary that gave up 309 yards passing to Jared Goff and ranks last in the NFL in passing yards allowed (255.2). Vikings’ running back Aaron Jones ran 14 times for 76 yards against the Commanders 29th-ranked run defense. Prior to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery’s combined 103 yards in Week 14, the Cowboys had allowed 58 yards to Chiefs’ running back Kareem Hunt and 3.0 yards per carry in the three previous games before that. Stopping Jones, receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson will be of high priority to the Cowboys. The Vikings allowed 84 yards on 17 rushes to the Commanders’ Chris Rodriguez and Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and are 22nd in the NFL in run defense (126.8). Cowboys’ running back Javonte Williams has rushed for a career-high 1,022 yards this season with nine touchdowns. The Vikings are however fourth in defending the pass, at 172.3 yards allowed per game. It is imperative that George Pickens gets going for the Cowboys again after just 37 yards receiving against the Lions. On a positive, Ryan Flournoy flourished against the Lions, catching nine balls for 115 yards and a score in what was his best game of the season. He has locked down the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver spot.

Linebackers Dallas Turner and Eric Wilson both lead the Vikings with five sacks. The Vikings’ front will be an issue for a Cowboys’ line that allowed five sacks against the Lions, three of which came from Al-Quadin Muhammad. It will also be crucial that the Cowboys block 2-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, who signed a $51 million deal with the Vikings in 2025. Cowboys’ offensive tackles Nate Thomas and Terence Steele need to be better than they were against the Lions. 

Prescott, with 3,637 yards, is the NFL’s passing leader, heading an offense that averages a league-best 394.9 yards and 275.5 passing yards per game. Pickens, despite just 37 yards against the Lions, is still third in the league in receiving yards with 1,179. Just as Jefferson and Addison will be a challenge for the Cowboys’ secondary, Pickens and Lamb will be for cornerbacks Isaiah Rodgers and Byron Murphy Jr. The Harrison Smith, 36, is a 6-time Pro Bowler at safety. 

Sunday night has the potential to be a quality rebound game for the Cowboys, who need to win out to have a chance in the competitive NFC. The Chicago Bears (9-4), Detroit Lions (8-5), Seattle Seahawks (10-3), and San Francisco 49ers (9-4) are all currently in place for wild card spots, leaving the Cowboys with their only hope at the postseason being an NFC East win which would need to be facilitated by a collapse from the 8-5 Eagles. The Eagles have lost three straight but get the 2-11 LAs Vegas Raiders at home on Sunday. 

The Cowboys lead the all-time series with the Vikings 19-15, which includes three consecutive victories. On Nov. 20, 2022, the Cowboys demolished the Vikings in Minnesota 40-3. The last Viking win over the Cowboys was on Nov. 10, 2019, a 28-24 win in Arlington. On Sunday night, the Cowboys should get their fourth consecutive if everything goes right. 

Prediction: Cowboys 30 Vikings 23