Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook Propel Vikings to Road Win vs. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

The Minnesota Vikings appear to be hitting their stride as the season continues.

Minnesota improved to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in its last six games with a 28-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday's showdown between NFC playoff contenders at AT&T Stadium. The Vikings are in the middle of a back-and-forth race with the 8-2 Green Bay Packers in the NFC North and picked up a much-needed win thanks largely to Dalvin Cook and Kirk Cousins.

As for the inconsistent Cowboys, they are 5-4 and tied with the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East standings.

Notable Fantasy Stats

• MIN QB Kirk Cousins: 23-of-32 passing for 220 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions
• MIN RB Dalvin Cook: 26 carries for 97 yards and one touchdown; seven catches for 86 yards
• MIN WR Stefon Diggs: three catches for 49 yards
• MIN TE Kyle Rudolph: four catches for 14 yards and two touchdowns
• DAL QB Dak Prescott: 28-of-46 passing for 397 yards, three touchdowns and one interception
• DAL RB Ezekiel Elliott: 20 carries for 47 yards; two catches for 16 yards
• DAL WR Amari Cooper: 11 catches for 147 yards and one touchdown
• DAL WR Randall Cobb: six catches for 106 yards and one touchdown

Kirk Cousins Finally Delivers in Prime Time

The Vikings are on the short list of championship contenders in the NFC, but they have to figure out how to succeed on the big stage if they are going to lift the Lombardi Trophy.

Jake Russell of the Washington Post noted Cousins was a mere 6-13 in his career and just 2-4 with the Vikings in prime-time games entering Sunday's showdown. While he has been effective for much of this year and threw for 13 touchdowns and one interception in his last five games, getting over the hump on national television is standing in the way for a team with Cook, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

So much for that.

Cousins wasted little time sending a message with touchdown passes to Kyle Rudolph on the Vikings' opening two possessions of the game, with the first one featuring an excellent one-handed catch from the tight end.

The threat of the pass opened up lanes for Cook, who got into space as a receiver and picked up tough yardage between the tackles throughout the contest. He delivered what proved to be the knockout punch at the end of the third quarter with a touchdown on a fourth-down pitch play, and Rudolph capped the possession off with a two-point reception.

There is no doubt Cook, Diggs, Thielen and a talented defense will have the Vikings ready to compete come December and January. If the version of Cousins who showed up Sunday and took what the defense gave him without turning it over shows up in the marquee games, Minnesota is a threat to emerge from the NFC.

Vikings Put Game in Dak's Hands and Cowboys Come Up Short

The Vikings made no secret of their strategy on defense—stop Ezekiel Elliott.

They did just that, bottling up the two-time Pro Bowler by committing extra defenders in the box and pursuing him from the moment he touched the ball. Dak Prescott made the Vikings pay for the stacked box for most of the game with touchdown passes to Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb and Amari Cooper after his team fell behind 14-0.

Cobb and Cooper's efforts in particular were impressive, with the former making a sliding catch on a deep ball and the latter dragging his two feet in by the sideline.

Prescott had a chance to put the exclamation mark on his head-turning performance when he got the ball back with less than five minutes remaining on his own 6-yard line, and he moved the offense to the Vikings' 11-yard line with relative ease.

That's when Dallas decided to take it away from the hot hand and give it to Elliott on two straight plays, which resulted in a loss of yardage. Prescott forced the issue on the ensuing fourth down to a covered Elliott, and the Cowboys lost their best chance to win in the final quarter.

While there are no moral victories in the NFL, Dallas fans can at least take solace knowing Prescott responded to the additional defensive attention the Vikings committed to Elliott with an impressive game. His lone interception came on a desperation Hail Mary, and it was play-calling that undermined a potential game-winning drive.

Defenses will surely employ a similar strategy against the Cowboys should they make the playoffs, and Prescott proved he can respond. Maybe next time he will get to throw instead of forcing two straight running plays with the game on the line.

What's Next?

The Cowboys are at the Detroit Lions in Week 11, while the Vikings host the Denver Broncos.