Dak Prescott embraces a must-win finish for Cowboys, starting with visit from Vikings

The Cowboys (6-6-1) are coming off a loss to Detroit but still have postseason hopes going into Sunday night's home game against Minnesota (5-8) because NFC East-leading and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia is on a three-game losing streak.

Dallas revived the playoff talk by winning three consecutive games before the 44-30 loss to the Lions on Dec. 4, a surge sparked by the the trade for standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams during the open week.

Prescott's crew will need help. A 4-0 finish combined with the Eagles splitting their final four games would get the Cowboys in. One Dallas loss would require Philadelphia to lose at least three times. The Eagles have a slightly easier schedule.

“A hundred percent, I think about it all the time and often. At different times, I feel great about it, and different times, it’s, ‘Aw ... I hope those guys lose,’” Prescott said, stopping a couple of letters into an expletive while explaining those times when he doesn't feel so great about the chances. “It’s something that I love and I’m embracing at this point because it’s the only way out.”

The Vikings made the playoffs last year after rookie J.J. McCarthy's season-ending knee injury in the preseason, thanks to a resurgent Sam Darnold.

Minnesota stuck with the McCarthy plan at QB this year, letting Darnold leave in free agency and leading to plenty of rough patches in the first year as the starter for the 2024 first-round pick and national championship winner from Michigan.

McCarthy had by far his best game in last week's 31-0 victory over Washington with a pair of career firsts: three touchdown passes and no turnovers. His passer rating was 129.2 coming off an average of 51.3 in his previous five starts.

“That’s something I expect every week, to go out there and execute at a high level, but it’s about being consistent,” McCarthy said. “That’s the true measure of performance is consistency and making sure we can do it over and over again.”

For the love of the game

Though the Vikings defense has largely thrived again this season when fully healthy, ranking eighth in yards per game allowed, seventh in yards per play allowed, fourth in sacks per pass attempt and third in red-zone TD rate, one glaring insufficiency has been takeaways. After tying for the NFL lead with 33 last season, the Vikings are tied for 20th with just 14.

Last week against Washington, Minnesota intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble while finally playing with the lead the entire time to force the opponent into must-pass situations. Harrison Smith, the 14-year veteran safety, had one of the interceptions and is the NFL’s active leader with 38, which is fourth in club history.

Smith praised the pregame speech from coach Kevin O’Connell, who urged the Vikings to reflect on how they would’ve felt in high school about playing in the NFL. He was trying to bring joy to a team on a four-game losing streak.

“That hit home with a lot of guys,” Smith said, his voice cracking. “Just getting a chance to play in the NFL, it’s fun.”

The fourth quarter

Regardless of their playoff hopes, the Cowboys are finishing their first season under coach Brian Schottemheimer, who spent 25 years as an NFL assistant before getting his first chance to run a team.

Dallas traded star pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay a week before the season, getting defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. Then came the trade for Williams from the New York Jets to try to boost a struggling defense.

There's a part of the Cowboys wondering what the first full season with Williams will look like, and viewing this December as a preview. That's assuming George Pickens returns at receiver to complement CeeDee Lamb, a pairing that has shined but is under scrutiny after Pickens was criticized over what appeared to be some half-hearted routes against the Lions.

“We are trying to establish something, establish a culture, finish strong,” Clark said. “If we are who we say we are, we've got to just keep playing, finish out the season and see what happens at the end of the season.”

Pounding the ground

O’Connell as the play-caller has long produced one of the highest percentages of passing plays in the league, but as McCarthy’s rocky development unfolded he has relied more on the run. In part because of a comfortable early lead, the Vikings had a 56% running play ratio against Washington that was their highest in four seasons under O’Connell.

Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones combined for 128 yards on 25 carries, an average of 5.1 per attempt. Not coincidentally, the Vikings had their entire expected starting offensive line intact for an entire game for the first time all season. The Vikings enjoyed a 19-play, 98-yard drive that took 12:01 off the clock in the first half, the longest in the NFL in four years.

“Any time that you can move the ball like that, it opens up the whole offense,” right guard Will Fries said. “So for us to be able to continue to have success, we’ve got to keep the run game going. We’ve got to be able to lean on defensive lines and front sevens.”

AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl