5 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss to the Cowboys in Week 8

Converting third downs is like hitting the lottery

The first drive for the Minnesota Vikings offense was nice. They drove down the field and challenged the Dallas defense by picking up big plays and moving the chains, ending the drive with a Thielen touchdown.

The sole third down that Minnesota picked up on their initial drive was a special one…because it was the only third down the team picked up in the entire game. As a whole, they were one for 13 in those situations, with most failing due to throws being very short of the first down or passes being incomplete.

The Vikings picked up seven first downs from Cowboys penalties. That number becomes even more significant when noticing that the team only picked up 17 total first downs on the night, six through the air and four on the ground.

It’s shocking that the Minnesota Vikings were able to stay in this game as long as they did with how poorly this team was on offense against the Cowboys. Heck, Jordan Berry punted for 237 yards, and probably needed only one more punt to have more yardage than the Vikings offense at 278 yards.