The Minnesota Vikings will be looking to take advantage of a Dallas Cowboys defense that gave up 44 points to the Detroit Lions in Week 14. Moreover, the Vikings are coming off recording 31 points against the Washington Commanders, so they’ll be looking to carry that momentum.
In the win over Washington, Minnesota leaned on its running game. The team racked up 162 rushing yards, with Aaron Jones Sr. recording 76 rushing yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
Furthermore, the running attack allowed the Vikings to take the pressure off J.J. McCarthy from having to pass to compensate for a lack of rushing attack. Ahead of the contest against the Cowboys, Jones spoke to the media about the Dallas defense.
“They’re a fast [and] physical defense,” Jones told reporters on December 10. “They’re flying around, they have pieces at every level on their defense, and they’re playing hungry. So we got to exceed that.”
J.J. McCarthy Should Play With Confidence Against Dallas
The running game will provide a big boost, but McCarthy still needs to make timely throws, and he should approach them with confidence.
Returning from a concussion, he completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns, while avoiding any interceptions to keep the offense turnover-free. These numbers may not jump off the page, but they represent a solid step forward for McCarthy, and the key now is to continue building on that progress.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner weighed in on what he hopes to see from the young quarterback over the final four games, highlighting the traits that could prove he’s ready to be the No. 1 starter next season.
“I think you want to continue to see steady growth,” Warner said on the latest “One on One” published on December 10. “The biggest thing is that you want to try to use these last four games to build into next year. And, you know, that doesn’t mean you’re giving up on this year and you’re not saying, ‘Hey, let’s try to win them all and see if we can get in the playoffs.’
“But the idea is simply, let’s keep getting better. Let’s keep building. Let’s go into the offseason with everybody feeling really good about where we’re at, or in this specific case, let’s get everybody feeling really good about the quarterback that’s in our room and what he can be for us…
“We want him going into the offseason feeling really good that we’re putting him in a position to play his best football and to help us win. And so that, to me, is kind of the underlying thing that you’re trying to accomplish in these last four games: play good football, be competitive.”
Vikings Will Look to Replicate Success Against the Cowboys
Following the victory over the Commanders, head coach Kevin O’Connell highlighted the key factors that helped his quarterback bounce back from recent struggles. He also suggested that the same approach could be applied as Minnesota looks to secure consecutive wins.
“I think it was a combination of J.J.’s execution [and] staying efficient,” O’Connell said postgame. “We had some different looks early on in the game to try to change up some things we’ve done, either personnel-wise or schématically, and just try to get off to a fast start and then get a little momentum in the game, allow our defense to play with the lead, and eventually [and] force some turnovers.
“Then try to see if we can stack on that by just staying the course and protecting the football and playing smart. I do think the situational football is probably not going to be talked about but when you run the football efficiently, that’s great.”
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