Mike McCarthy: Cowboys Need to Make Win over Vikings 'Mean Something'

In isolation, beating the Minnesota Vikings was sorely needed for the Dallas Cowboys to snap a four-game losing skid. Head coach Mike McCarthy doesn't want the momentum from Sunday's 31-28 victory to fade.

McCarthy emphasized to reporters how the result "needs to mean something":

"There's a lot of football left to be played. You have to play your best football in November and December, so obviously with the state of our division, that focus is ours. We need to win Thursday, and this will be our first opportunity to really stack success, and that's the key to where we are as a team. All three phases played well. This is clearly the most rounded performance, victory we've had this year. It took us a little longer to get here, but I clearly think the journey will make us stronger.

"We need to do something with this win. It needs to mean something."

Very little has gone right for Dallas in 2020. Dak Prescott suffered a significant injury that could carry consequences in 2021 and beyond. Not even halfway through his first year, McCarthy looked to be on shaky footing amid internal criticism from his players. Ezekiel Elliott is in the middle of his worst season ever.

Still, all is not lost thanks to the sorry state of the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles lead the division at 3-6-1, while the Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Football Team are all tied at 3-7.

Sunday provided some reason for optimism as Elliott broke the century mark for the first time and Andy Dalton finished 22-of-32 for 203 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Dallas did, however, allow 430 yards to the Vikings offense. The bye week didn't help McCarthy and his staff figure out what's wrong with the defense.

And in general, the Cowboys may not raise much enthusiasm among fans if they ultimately make the playoffs with a losing record and lose in the Wild Card Round—something that looks inevitable for whoever is crowned the NFC East champion. That doesn't qualify as success for a franchise that had Super Bowl aspirations.

Maybe McCarthy can inspire his team to run the table, at which point the conversations around the Cowboys could drastically change.

Dallas is working on a short week, with Washington coming up on Thanksgiving Day. Having such a quick turnaround isn't easy but could be beneficial in getting the feeling from a Week 11 win to carry over into Week 12.