{"id":86518,"date":"2025-12-13T05:44:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T05:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/86518\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T05:44:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T05:44:27","slug":"playoff-hopes-on-the-line-again-for-dallas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/86518\/","title":{"rendered":"Playoff hopes on the line again for Dallas"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys<\/a> (6-6-1) are coming off a loss, but still have postseason hopes going into Sunday night\u2019s game against the Minnesota Vikings<\/a> (5-8).<\/p>\n

A win would help the Cowboys keep pace with the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> (8-5) as the regular season winds down. <\/p>\n

What can we expect in Sunday\u2019s game? Our columnists and beat writers at The Dallas Morning News<\/a> give their predictions:<\/p>\n

Tim Cowlishaw<\/p>\n

Cowboys<\/p>\n

Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Are the Vikings reborn or just revived a bit? Be careful what you make of 31-0 wins over Washington<\/a>. Minnesota had a big 3-0 edge in turnovers that produced a rout, ending its four-game losing streak. J.J. McCarthy looks healthy enough to at least give them a chance, but hard to see them moving the ball as steadily as Detroit did when they play Sunday night. Cowboys have much to make amends for on both sides of ball (let\u2019s make it three sides with their rotten kick coverage) and they may struggle more than fans would like before putting this one away late.<\/p>\n

Cowboys 26, Vikings 23<\/p>\n

Joseph Hoyt<\/p>\n

Remember when the Cowboys\u2019 defense used to generate turnovers like the Chargers and Eagles displayed on Monday night? That hasn\u2019t been the case for this Dallas defense. Cowboys only have 10 all season. Against J.J. McCarthy and the turnover-prone Vikings, I think that changes. Cowboys get two pivotal interceptions and win a scrappy one.<\/p>\n

Cowboys 27, Vikings 24<\/p>\n

Damon Marx<\/p>\n

The Cowboys blew their best shot at a late-season playoff push with the lackluster effort (ahem, George Pickens<\/a>) in Detroit. Count on a Pickens rebound this week as he seeks a big payday in the offseason. With CeeDee Lamb out of concussion protocol, the home version (also known as the good version) of the Dallas offense should be in full effect. The Cowboys must win out to have any hope of catching the fading Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East race. They\u2019ll at least take the first step Sunday night.<\/p>\n

Cowboys 32, Vikings 24<\/p>\n

Abraham Nudelstejer<\/p>\n

The Vikings find themselves in the midst of an identity crisis. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has failed to live up to the lofty expectations of becoming the franchise cornerstone, leaving Minnesota far from the NFC contender they envisioned. Compounding the issue, injuries have ravaged the roster, turning the once-feared purple offense into one of the least productive units in the league. The Cowboys enter Sunday night\u2019s clash at AT&T Stadium with a clear opportunity to secure a crucial late-season victory.<\/p>\n

Cowboys 24, Vikings 23<\/p>\n

Kevin Sherrington<\/p>\n

Fifty years after the Hail Mary, the Cowboys break the Vikings\u2019 hearts again, even if there\u2019s a lot less riding on the outcome this time. Dak Prescott carves up the Minnesota secondary and the defense bounces back at home. Won\u2019t be enough to put the Cowboys back on the playoff track. That\u2019d require a miracle, and these Cowboys, unlike the \u201975 bunch, are fresh out.<\/p>\n

Cowboys 34, Vikings 27 <\/p>\n

Calvin Watkins<\/p>\n

The Cowboys\u2019 desperation continues against the Vikings. The blitz packages from Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will cause some problems. But George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb will beat up the secondary. Getting off to a faster start will also help the Cowboys in this game.<\/p>\n

Cowboys 20, Vikings 12<\/p>\n

\"Cowboys<\/a>50 years ago this month, DMN photographer John Rhodes shot the famous \u2018Hail Mary\u2019 play<\/a><\/p>\n

Rhodes, now 75, bore the cold on that historic day in Minnesota and still shoots for The Dallas Morning News today. <\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Trevon Diggs expects to make his return vs. Vikings. Cowboys leadership isn\u2019t so sure<\/a><\/p>\n

Even on the brink of Diggs\u2019 return to the field, he and the Cowboys just can\u2019t get on the same page.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>KaVontae Turpin says he\u2019ll stop fair catch fakeouts, but Cowboys\u2019 return issues run deeper<\/a><\/p>\n

Dallas is 25th in the NFL in kick return average in 2025, and 29th on punts.<\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1) are coming off a loss, but still have postseason hopes going into Sunday night\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2353,1044,102,113,104,103,80],"class_list":["post-86518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-commentary","tag-cowboys","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}