7 takeaways from the Vikings win over the Cowboys in Week 10

Minnesota’s secondary is unrecognizable

For the second-straight week, the Vikings’ cornerbacks were demolished by their opponent’s group of pass-catchers.

The Cowboys seemed to have little trouble getting open on Sunday night and Minnesota didn’t really have a solution to stop them. Against the Vikings, Dallas’ top three receivers (Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb, Michael Gallup) caught a total of 21 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns.

This miserable performance by the Minnesota secondary came after they were torched by Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill in a loss last week. For a Vikings pass defense that has ranked among the three best in the NFL since 2016, their performance on Sunday night was very uncharacteristic.

Now, Trae Waynes was unable to suit up against the Cowboys due to an ankle injury. But Waynes being available likely wouldn’t have changed much for Minnesota on Sunday since he struggled mightily when covering Hill last week.

Something about the Vikings’ pass defense has just been off this season and their night against Dallas now has the unit currently sitting as the 18th-best in the league.

With corner-guru Mike Zimmer leading the way, Minnesota’s secondary has as good a chance as any team to get back on track before the end of the year. But if they can’t seem to fix their problems when it comes to defending the pass, it will probably be difficult for the Vikings to make any sort of run if they make it into the playoffs.