Takeaways from the Vikings’ 34-26 win over the Cowboys

ARLINGTON Texas It would ve been easy for the Vikings to only go through the motions on Sunday night at AT T Stadium They were eliminated from playoff contention before they ever stepped foot on the field for the match against the Dallas Cowboys Instead the Vikings dug in and manifested a few pride on national television bouncing back from several early adversity to earn a - win It s marked the first time the Vikings have won consecutive games this season That s something head coach Kevin O Connell desired his group of players to feel proud about as they got on the plane back to the Twin Cities As frustrating as this season has been for the Vikings the upset of the Cowboys provided something to feel good about in the short term while also providing chosen ripple effects that might pay dividends in the long term Here are several takeaways from the meeting J J McCarthy was extremely resilient The first throw of the competition for quarterback J J McCarthy ended in complete accident The ball got deflected by safety Donovan Wilson at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by defensive tackle Quinnen Williams The fact that McCarthy was able to bounce back for the Vikings and have the best tournament of his career against the Cowboys can t be overstated Not everybody would ve been able to move on as swiftly as he did He deserves credit for being able to do that The final stat line for McCarthy featured him completing of passes for yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air while also adding a touchdown on the ground There was a decisiveness from McCarthy that resulted in particular chunk plays and while he still missed a limited too a great number of layups throughout the event the improvement is an encouraging sign in his advance Justin Jefferson dropped a touchdown The struggles that superstar receiver Justin Jefferson has had to endure this season have been largely due to the inconsistencies of whoever has been throwing him the ball There have been a lot of ups and down whether it s been McCarthy veteran quarterback Carson Wentz or rookie quarterback Max Brosmer under center It s a big reason why Jefferson is in danger of finishing below yards for the first time in his career His performance for the Vikings against the Cowboys didn t get him much closer to reaching that milestone as he finished with a pair of receptions for yards Though the underwhelming numbers stat line stems from McCarthy misfiring on a number of throws Jefferson also didn t do himself any favors in the competition He had a chance to haul in a touchdown in the corner of the end zone and flat out dropped the ball That has been a recurring theme for Jefferson this season As much as he can blame McCarthy Wentz or Brosmer for his lack of production he also has to blame himself or not inevitably maximizing his opportunities Jalen Nailor is going to get paid The campaign that receiver Jalen Nailor has put together shouldn t be taken lightly He s put himself in position to make a lot of money in free agency which in turn means the Vikings more than likely won t be able to afford to bring him back The way that Nailor impacted the tournament for the Vikings against the Cowboys he hauled in a pair of touchdowns that proved to be the difference showcased how much he s grown as a athlete since reaching the NFL No longer is Nailor exclusively a speed demon that makes his living running deep down the field He s turned himself into a complete receiver that can make a difference at every level of the defense Ryan Wright provided a needed spark There s a chance the Vikings might have ascertained themselves in a much different spot against the Cowboys had punter Ryan Wright not flipped the field in the early stages With the Vikings already trailing in the event they were forced to punt in their own territory which presumably was going to give the Cowboys pretty good field position with a chance to take a commanding lead Instead Wright continued his occurrence as the most of improved participant on the roster unleashing a booming -yard punt that was downed inside the -yard line That proved to be a massive play for the Vikings as the defense forced a punt and the offense put together a drive that tied the meeting It very easily could ve gotten out of hand for the Vikings had Wright not helped stop the bleeding when he did Dak Prescott never looked calm Maybe it sounds crazy to say Prescott looked out of sorts in a challenge where he completed of passes for yards He consistently ascertained open receivers over the middle while moving the ball with ease at times That mentioned Prescott did not throw for a touchdown largely because of the constant pressure that was in his face That discomfort he felt was a direct effect of another masterclass from defensive coordinator Brian Flores Not only did the exotic looks before the snap seem to rattle Prescott so did the various stunts after the snap It resulted in Prescott being pressured on of his dropbacks That was the highest pressure rate of his career Related Articles Frederick Congratulations to whichever NFL squad hires Brian Flores to be its next head coach J J McCarthy shines in primetime as Vikings upset Cowboys Frederick With the Vikings eliminated from the playoffs should they tank It s not that easy Aaron Jones gets pseudo homecoming as Vikings play Cowboys Vikings at Cowboys What to know ahead of Week matchup