JOTTINGS

• Despite a tough loss at Kansas City last week, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has posted a 127.1 passer rating over his past five games, the highest mark in the NFL. His overall rating of 112.0 is third behind Seattle's Russell Wilson and Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes. Dak Prescott of Dallas ranks eighth at 102.5.

• The Vikings have had trouble stopping the pass and it's not going to get any easier. Dallas ranks fourth in the NFL with 287.5 passing yards per game. Pro Football Focus ranks the Vikings' Trae Waynes 62nd among 79 NFL cornerbacks and Xavier Rhodes 70th.

• A headline in the Dallas Morning News this week: "Cowboys defense is the driving force behind Dallas' back-to-back wins." The story noted that the Cowboys had eight sacks, forced seven turnovers and gave up only two touchdowns vs. the Eagles and Giants.

• It might surprise Vikings fans to know Pro Football Focus still ranks them as the sixth-best team in the NFL behind the Patriots, Saints, 49ers, Ravens and Chiefs.

• The Cowboys have averaged 2.8 sacks per game while the Vikings have averaged 3.1. The Vikings rank sixth in the NFL with 28 sacks in nine games while Dallas has 22 in eight games.

• CBS Sports posted its latest 2020 first-round NFL mock draft and had one Gophers player getting selected, wide receiver Tyler Johnson at No. 29 overall to the Ravens.

• Former Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau sat courtside with injured Nets star Kevin Durant on Tuesday to watch Apple Valley's Tre Jones and Rochester's Matthew Hurt make their season debuts for Duke vs. Kansas at Brooklyn's Barclay Center.

• How good were the Twins pitchers? Keith Law of ESPN ranked Jake Odorizzi as the No. 9 overall free agent in baseball, Michael Pineda No. 15 and Kyle Gibson No. 16.