Dallas Cowboys defense, Andy Dalton come up big to beat Vikings

The Dallas Cowboys defense made a rare splash play and came away with a big win.

For much of the 2020 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys have been forced to play under extreme pressure due in large part to defensive deficiencies. This time, they made a key stop on fourth down to gain a 31-28 victory that surprisingly keeps them alive with a 3-7 record in a depleted NFC East thanks to a Washington and Philadelphia loss.

For most of the game, it was the running game of Dallas under Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard along with the good decision-making from Andy Dalton and miraculous plays of CeeDee Lamb that allowed Dallas to stay in the game with Minnesota.

Kirk Cousins had an impressive game with 314 yards and three touchdowns. However, he was sacked twice and threw an interception. Dalvin Cook was his usual self with 115 yards and a touchdown but to no avail.

The defense is limiting the Dallas Cowboys but they aren’t dead yet.

The luck in the Lone Star State has Dallas still alive in a division that has overwhelmingly underperformed throughout this season. However, with that hope comes a large realization.

The defense could have lost the game. In fact, this season has been highlighted by the lackluster performance from the defense. For one game, they stepped up. But is it enough to convince people that they are a good team? Absolutely not. In fact, despite their stop, the fact that the team will need a strong makeover in the offseason.

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan will be relieved that his unit came up with a big stop to get a victory. However, there is a lot left to be desired, yet a victory makes everything salvageable. The defense is still leaving a lot to be desired but they made the play to win the game and they deserve credit for it.