NFL Power Rankings 2020, Week 12: Chiefs claim No. 1 spot, Packers drop again

No Dallas Cowboys fan wanted to imagine a season without Dak Prescott prior to Week 1 but, if they had to, many took solace in the fact that the franchise signed veteran Andy Dalton to be the backup as he seemed like the best-case scenario for any kind of contingency plan. And on Sunday in Minnesota, we finally saw why that was the case.

While Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard led the charge for the Cowboys offense, Dalton made some big throws and plays throughout the game to help Dallas keep the pace. More surprisingly, the Cowboys defense actually came up with a vital fourth-down stop late in the fourth quarter after Dalton orchestrated a go-ahead drive to seal the 31-28 win for Dallas.

The victory against the Vikes now puts the Cowboys at 3-7 on the season and, while that’s a far cry from where they expected to be, it has them nipping at the heels of the NFC East lead. And though they aren’t contenders with Dak out of the lineup, this could be a frisky finishing stretch for Dallas.

Now that they’ve seemingly figured some things out on the offensive line and with Dalton healthy, the Cowboys have just one game in their final six against a team with a winning record. So against all odds, if Dallas can build on their Week 11 showing, the Cowboys have a viable shot still of making the playoffs.