Cowboys...

[IE]

U]A win would mean ...[/U]
We?re talking playoff scenarios. Dallas can clinch a playoff spot with a victory Thursday, plus a Tampa Bay loss or tie or a Washington loss on Sunday. The Cowboys would improve to 11-1, matching the longest win streak (11) in franchise history, which includes games in the 1968 and 1969 seasons.


A loss would mean ...
Minnesota evens the all-time series at 15-15 and wins for the eighth time in the last 10 meetings. The Vikings are the first to fell the Cowboys on the road. Dallas enters new, loud U.S. Bank Stadium 5-0 in away games.



[FONT=&quot]SITUATIONEDGEIN THE KNOW[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]When the Cowboys run the ball

The Vikings? run defense continues to be anchored by big Linval Joseph inside and an exceptional group of interior players who carry out Mike Zimmer?s tough style with tenacity and physicality. That said, their performance against the run has been spotty and their time on the field because of a subpar offense has remained an issue. Meanwhile, the Cowboys rushing attack has been consistently powerful all season and has yet to meet its match. Look for a determined play-calling effort to get Ezekiel Elliott front and center to avoid passing situations in a loud environment.
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[FONT=&quot]When the Cowboys pass the ball

There is no question that Minnesota?s entire defensive design is based on slowing down passing games and making quarterbacks panic and take underneath throws rather than standing in the pocket and getting clobbered. Pass protection will be vital, and the Vikings have first-round picks all over this talented defense. Only Denver gives up fewer yards per pass, and the Vikings also pick off passes with regularity. The Cowboys have not seen a pass defense on this level this year.
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[FONT=&quot]When the Vikings run the ball

There is no way to overstate how bad the Vikings are at running the ball. Only four offenses since the NFL-AFL merger have averaged fewer yards per game than the 2016 Vikings with 71.1 yards per week. And do not blame it all on Adrian Peterson?s health. The offensive line was below average before it became riddled with injuries. The Cowboys are seldom going to feel like they have a decided advantage at slowing down an opponent?s running game, but this is the exception. The Vikings simply cannot run the ball.
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[FONT=&quot]When the Vikings pass the ball

The single redeeming quality of the Vikings offense is that they do not turn the ball over. Sam Bradford has completed many underneath passes to nonvertical threats and has done so without giving the ball away. Only Buffalo and Dallas have fewer giveaways this season. If injured receiver Stefon Diggs is available, it will provide Minnesota with one receiving threat, however. The Vikings? poor pass protection sabotages any plays that require time. They resort to trick plays and sleight of hand for any offense they can find.
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[FONT=&quot]Special teams

Since being taken in the first round in 2013, Cordarrelle Patterson has been a massive disappointment as a receiver, but as a return man, nobody is in his class in the league. He has almost 600 more kick return yards than the next, closest man during that span. All he needs is a small seam and he is gone. And if he breaks one, the Vikings usually win. Beware.
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[FONT=&quot]Intangibles

Minnesota must win this game if it wants to have a chance to catch the Lions, who have both a lead and a season-sweep tiebreaker in the NFC North. The Cowboys are just competing to avoid giving an inch to the New York Giants before their showdown in New Jersey on Dec. 11.
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[IE]

The only way to take down the Cowboys? offense is to score enough points to overcome what they will take. That requires figuring out how this Vikings offense can get to 28 points. They will hope for a takeaway touchdown, but Dak Prescott and the Cowboys turn the ball over very little. This is a great test for the young Cowboys against a Vikings defense that is very impressive ? especially in their own, loud building

 

[baby johnson]

So who do you like in this one? tough call

 

[IE]

passing on the game.

looking at a prop.