1. Vikings way too soft against the run
The Cowboys' defensive front stole the show while punishing a jittery Kirk Cousins, but Dallas' offensive line was equally dominant in Sunday's 40-3 beatdown of the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Cowboys scored on their first seven possessions mostly because they refused to be stopped in short yardage situations. Ezekiel Elliott had only 42 yards and a 2.8 average but churned his powerful legs while converting three third-and-ones, including a pile-moving touchdown. Tony Pollard, who had a game-high 80 yards, got 5 yards on a third-and-2, 7 yards on another third-and-2, and also had back-to-back runs of 18 and 20 yards.
"I think we got to be more physical at the point of attack," Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks said. "There were times — both third down and goal line — when we had them hit, stopped but they were just churning their feet and we weren't able to keep them behind the line. Disappointing."
2. Hockenson drop was beginning of the end
The football gods that had been smiling on the Vikings through seven consecutive one-score wins went AWOL early when Cousins threw a strike into the end zone to a well-covered T.J. Hockenson, who … dropped it! This came on second-and-2 from the Dallas 6, one play after Dalvin Cook had muscled his way up the middle for 8 yards. The Vikings settled for a field goal and a 3-3 tie. That felt like a big blunder that would bite the Vikings on the behind. Coach Kevin O'Connell concurred.
"The defense had just held them to a field goal [after a turnover] and we had a chance to put seven on the board and we only got three," he said. "It seemed like from then on we were just reaching for momentum instead of doing the things that we've done."
It also ended Cousins' streak of games with at least one touchdown pass at 39.
3. Let 'em play, and talk, refs!
The game was well out of hand at 37-3 when Cook ripped off one of his best runs, an 11-yarder that took him into the Cowboys' sideline. Not far from where Cook went out of bounds was former Vikings defensive coordinator and current Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards. The two exchanged words, which might have been overlooked had Cook not continued to talk and point his finger at Edwards. Cook didn't speak to reporters after the game. Safety Harrison Smith defended Cook, saying essentially that the refs gotta chill sometimes, especially when the talking is between two people who know each other well.
"Those relationships get lost sometimes," Smith said. "People don't know about them. The refs don't know about them. I'm sure it was just competitive stuff on both sides. Things like that get overblown from time to time these days."
4. Replay booth officials have another blunder
The replay booth officials had another rough week doing a Vikings game. A week after not stopping the game to catch an obvious Bills incompletion that was ruled a catch, the booth officials waited way too long before buzzing down to stop the game. The Cowboys had called a timeout, sent the field goal unit onto the field and were celebrating a 60-yarder from Brett Maher when the field officials signaled that the kick didn't count because the previous play — a great, tippy-toe, 37-yard sideline grab by CeeDee Lamb was under review.
"I don't understand why there was a review," quarterback Dak Prescott said. "He framed it up. Two feet down, incredible concentration and catch. I don't know why they would stop the game."
Agreed. But Maher lined up again and made it again. "He continues to be money," Prescott said.
5. No time to throw to Jefferson
Justin Jefferson was the hottest player in the league from last week's one-handed catch in Buffalo to the start of a Cowboys game that was being shown to every market except the AFC North markets and Joe Burrow's old LSU stomping grounds. All that disappeared rapidly. Jefferson was targeted only five times — 11 fewer than the week before — and caught only three balls for 33 yards. By the end of the third quarter, CBS switched every market except the Twin Cities and Dallas over to the Steelers-Bengals game.
Jefferson has started 41 games. He's seen five or fewer targets only eight times. Three of those have come in three losses to the Cowboys. "You're trying to give Justin and Adam a chance to work down the field," said Cousins, "but we just didn't have an opportunity for those plays to happen."
