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Cowboys vs. Vikings: Score and Twitter Reaction for Thursday Night Football
- Updated: December 2, 2016
The Dallas Cowboys have dominated the 2016 season behind rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, but the defense set the tone Thursday during a 17-15 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Cowboys didn’t allow a touchdown until the final minute of the game, held strong on the potential game-tying two-point conversion and consistently pressured Vikings signal-caller Sam Bradford to move to 11-1 on the year.
Dallas hasn’t lost since the season opener against the New York Giants and is undefeated on the road.
11-1. The Force is with the Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/GKG3bM2qDq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 2, 2016
Minnesota dropped to 6-6 after a 5-0 start but had a gripe on the two-point attempt in the final minute, when Dallas appeared to hit Bradford high on his incomplete pass.
“Should have been a penalty,” Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus tweeted. “Refs missed it badly.”
While he didn’t complete the two-point attempt, Bradford finished with 247 passing yards and a touchdown. He carried the load for the Vikings offense, considering no running back tallied more than 41 yards on the ground.
The Vikings were also playing without head coach Mike Zimmer. The team announced he underwent emergency eye surgery Wednesday, and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer served as the interim head coach.
On the other side, Prescott threw for just 139 yards and a touchdown, although he added 37 yards on the ground. Elliott finished with 86 rushing yards, 19 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Dez Bryant led the team with 84 receiving yards and a score.
While Dallas is loaded with offensive playmakers, the Vikings defense nearly made the first big play of the game. Anthony Barr stripped Elliott and appeared to recover the fumble inside the Cowboys’ 20-yard line, but a replay review revealed Elliott recovered it.
Minnesota still received favorable field position after a stop at its 37-yard line and took advantage with a 48-yard field goal by Kai Forbath.
The Vikings caught a break on the ensuing possession, when a 43-yard run by Elliott was called back for holding, but they capitalized on it with a turnover. Everson Griffen jarred the ball loose from Lucky Whitehead, and Eric Kendricks pounced on it.
David Helman of the Cowboys’ official website noted fumble issues have been rare for the team:
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say ball security is the No. 1 reasons why the Cowboys are 10-1. Not a great start in that department.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) December 2, 2016
Minnesota didn’t score, and the Dallas offense finally woke up thanks to Prescott. The quarterback scrambled for 14 yards on 3rd-and-13 and then found Bryant for 56 yards to set up a one-yard score by Elliott.
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