6 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss vs. Cowboys in Week 11
By Adam Carlson
The roof came off the defense
One of the biggest trends around the NFL this season has been a defense that prevents big plays and limits yards after the catch or after contact. Whether they call it blanket overage, a shell defense, or an umbrella, a lot of teams have been doing it.
This week, the Cowboys found ways around this by failing to account for the running back out of the backfield. Making mistakes like that against a team as smart as the Dallas Cowboys was a terrible situation.
Minnesota’s lapses in defense came at a terrible time since rookie Andrew Booth Jr. was making his first career start due to injuries at cornerback. Dallas attacked him but the team should look better when Cameron Dantzler returns to the lineup to play opposite Patrick Peterson.
The score got out of hand early when Dallas’ offense couldn’t be slowed. 458 yards of offense is a lot to accumulate without a single takeaway and going 12-17 on third down was big for the Cowboys.