Pass Coverage
As stated above, the Vikings’ defense did a great job against Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys’ running attack. They didn’t have such luck against Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and the Dallas passing game.
It does need to be pointed out that Minnesota corner Trae Waynes didn’t suit up this matchup. This allowed the inexperienced Mike Hughes to not only get the start, but be paired against one of the best receivers in the NFL in Cooper.
It wasn’t just normal Cooper though, it was Cooper on a night in which he was playing out of his head. It was a complete mismatch and while the Cowboys’ talented receiver clearly won the battle, Hughes did have some promising moments. Hopefully, it’s an experience the young Vikings corner learns from and ultimately gets better because of it.
Minnesota does need to make some tweaks to their pass coverage and what schemes they employ though. Obviously, not having Waynes hurt and Prescott’s uncanny ability to make extra time in the pocket was also an issue. But the Vikings can’t allow the weak passing attack of the Broncos to have the same sort of success in Week 11.
Minnesota’s secondary has to play better against Denver. Mike Zimmer and his group of corners will have to closely watch this film this week, find out what went wrong, and figure out how they can correct the many issues that plagued them in Dallas.