Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have the Dallas Cowboys on pace to run away with the top spot in the NFC. Their path cuts through Minneapolis in primetime when they square off with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football.
Cowboys vs. Vikings 2016: Time, TV schedule for ‘Thursday Night Football’
Minnesota can get its season back on track by upsetting the 10-1 Cowboys at home.
The dynamic rookie duo has revived one of the NFL’s most storied franchises behind a potent offensive attack. Elliott has been the league’s top rusher, gaining over 160 yards more than runner-up DeMarco Murray. Prescott rates in the top five when it comes to passer rating, yards per pass attempt, and TD:INT ratio. They’ve paired with veteran playmakers Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to create a scarily efficient offense in the Lone Star State.
Prescott and Elliott have been so good that they’ve emerged as legitimate MVP contenders. If either wins the award, he’d be the first rookie since Earl Campbell won the PFWA award in 1978-79. The only other first-year player to earn the award was Jim Brown, who was named the AP’s top player in 1957.
That’s elite company, but the pair have proven they belong in the conversation after guiding the Cowboys to a 10-1 start. No team in the league has been hotter than Dallas, which has dispatched of playoff contenders like Washington (twice), Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Green Bay in a 10-game winning streak. That’s enough to give the team a two-game cushion at the top of the conference standings with only five games left in the season.
But while the Cowboys have some breathing room in their quest for the postseason, the Vikings lack that luxury. A 5-0 start gave way to a four-game losing streak, dropping them from a comfortable spot atop the NFC North to a regrettable position chasing the Lions for first place.
Sam Bradford has been capable as Teddy Bridgewater’s replacement at quarterback, but “capable” hasn’t been enough to overcome the myriad injuries that have stripped this offense of its explosiveness. Injuries to both starting tackles and former MVP Adrian Peterson have left the Vikings stuck in neutral through November. Minnesota’s running backs have gained only 71.1 yards per game this fall — by far the worst mark in the league.
For comparison’s sake, Elliott has averaged 109 yards per game all by himself.
Bradford has limited turnovers, thanks to a 12:3 TD to INT ratio, but hasn’t made enough plays to raise Minnesota’s offense up to the level of its defense. The Vikings have scored fewer than 14 points per game in losses in 2016. While an early victory over the now 8-3 Giants looks great in hindsight, the team’s other five wins have come against sub-.500 teams or beneficiaries of the mess that is the AFC South.
The Vikings need an upset victory to keep their playoff dreams alive, but they’ve gone just 1-2 against the NFC East in 2016, and none of those teams were as dangerous as the Cowboys. Minnesota’s schedule over the final four weeks gets much easier, but nothing would do more to boost the team’s legitimacy than knocking off 10-1 Dallas on a big stage.
How to watch Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings
Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
TV: NFL Network, NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Heather Cox
Online streaming: NBC Sports, Twitter
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