Vikings-Cowboys preview: Can J.J. McCarthy keep up with Dak Prescott in Dallas?

McCarthy looking for “consistency” in prime time: In his first NFL start, J.J. McCarthy directed a fourth-quarter comeback that led to a Vikings victory in Chicago during the season opener on “Monday Night Football,” winning him NFC offensive player of the week honors. McCarthy is 2-4 as a starter since then, but played his most efficient game in the NFL last week in a 31-0 win over the Commanders. He will face a tougher challenge on national TV this week, against a 6-6-1 Cowboys team fighting to keep itself in the playoff race. “It’s about being consistent,” he said this week. “That’s the true measure of performance is consistency and making sure we can do it over and over again.”

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Cowboys defensive front still potent without Parsons: Even after trading Micah Parsons to Green Bay in a blockbuster deal before the season, Dallas has a group that will test a Vikings offensive line that had all five of its starters playing into the fourth quarter last week for the first time this season. Christian Darrisaw didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday because of the surgically repaired knee that’s still affecting his 2025 season; if he plays, he’d face rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku, who’s played his way into a starting role. The Cowboys fill out their front with former top picks like Quinnen Williams, Dante Fowler Jr., Jadeveon Clowney and former Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who came to Dallas in the Parsons trade.

Run game could provide key assist for McCarthy: The Vikings ran the ball on 55.6% of their snaps last week against the Commanders, posting the highest run rate they have ever had in four seasons under coach Kevin O’Connell. The fact they never trailed helped them run the ball, but they also used the run game to put McCarthy in better situations that helped him play quickly and efficiently. The Vikings could take a similar approach against a Cowboys defense whose success rate against the run is only 46.5%, the second-worst in the NFL. The Vikings run game might also help them control the clock and keep the Dallas offense on the sideline.

Cowboys receivers a test: CeeDee Lamb is returning from a concussion after hitting his head while leaping for a pass in the Cowboys’ loss to the Lions on Dec. 4, leading a Dallas receiving group that might be the toughest the Vikings will face this season. George Pickens, the mercurial receiver the Cowboys acquired from Pittsburgh, has 78 catches while averaging 15.1 yards per touch. Fourth-year man KaVontae Turpin has impressive downfield speed that made him an All-Pro kick returner last year, and tight end Jake Ferguson, who is questionable, has caught 75 passes for the NFL’s most prolific air game. Dallas will likely try to spread the Vikings out and test their secondary depth, though the Cowboys will have to have a plan for the Vikings pass rush in the process.

Pressuring Prescott is tough to do: Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has the 10th-lowest pressure rate in the NFL this season at only 30.9%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. But he’s thrown five interceptions and had eight turnover-worthy plays when he is pressured, per Pro Football Focus. The Vikings, who blitz more than any team in the NFL, will come after Prescott and try to beat a Cowboys offensive line that has some weak spots — particularly on the left side, where second-year man Nate Thomas is filling in for the injured Tyler Guyton.

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The Vikings’ win over Washington has them feeling better heading into a Sunday night matchup with the Cowboys, and if they can get off to another fast start on the road, they might be able to steer this game in a direction that makes it easier for them to win. But the Cowboys’ defensive front will be tougher to handle than Washington’s was, while Prescott is playing some of his best football working with Dallas’ talented receiving group. If this game turns into a shootout, the Vikings aren’t well-equipped to handle it, and the Cowboys will pull away to cement a losing season for the Vikings. Cowboys 31, Vikings 20