Final
Minnesota Vikings 3-10-8-7 — 28
Dallas Cowboys 0-14-0-0 — 14
The Minnesota Vikings are still preseason perfect. Dating back to 2013, the Vikings have yet to lose a preseason game and they added to their impressive streak with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys in front of a crowd of over 80,000 in Arlington.
Teddy Bridgewater continued his impressive play this August, going a perfect 7-for-7 for 76 yards. As a team, Minnesota’s quarterback corp finished 24-for-27 for 205 yards and one interception. That means that, overall, the Vikings actually only had two incomplete passes. That’s pretty good.
The Cowboys weren’t too shabby either as the first-string offense started to find some rhythm, sparked by the play of quarterback Tony Romo. The long-time leader in Dallas went 5-for-8 for 88 yards and two touchdown passes. Still, the Cowboys run game left a little to be desired, recording just 84 yards on 21 carries.
Click here to check out a full box score of the game.
Joe Banyard Added to the Vikings Lead With a Fourth Quarter TD
The Vikings were 0-for-10 on third down conversions so, naturally, they converted on fourth down, kept a drive alive and padded their lead with a seven-yard touchdown run by Texas native Joe Banyard.
Chase Ford Battled for a Spot on the Vikings Roster With a Third Quarter TD
Dominique Williams gave the Vikings back the lead midway through the third quarter with a barreling run into the end zone. The run capped off a six-play, 73-yard drive by Minnesota, which is looking to preserve its perfect preseason record.
Tight end Chase Ford hauled in the two-point conversion.
The Cowboys Led 14 – 13 at Halftime
This one was actually pretty interesting.
The squads exchanged highlight-ready touchdowns as both offenses started to roll in the second quarter. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, who notched his first preseason minutes last week, looked like a brand-new guy under center on Saturday night. The veteran QB recorded 88 yards through the air, with just three incompletions, and two touchdown passes.
But while the Cowboys passing game looked solid, the Vikings looked, if possible, even better. Teddy Bridgewater continues his solid preseason, going 7-for-7 for 76 yards. Shaun Hill wasn’t too bad in relief either, going 6-for-8 for 50 yards. Minnesota had just one true incompletion in the opening 30 minutes of play – the only other pass was an interception.
Tony Romo Found Lucky Whitehead for a Cowboys TD in the Second Quarter
Remember last week? Tony Romo completed one pass for -1 yard. Well, welcome to a brand-new week and a Romo that looks a lot more Romo than last week’s Romo did.
The Cowboys veteran quarterback spun away from the line and took advantage of, essentially, zero pass rush to find Whitehead in the end zone and, most importantly, give the Cowboys back the lead.
With 8:59 left in the second quarter, Romo had thrown for 88 yards on 5-of-8 passing.
Cordarrelle Patterson Returned a Kickoff for a Vikings TD
The Cowboys scored an impressive touchdown, so, naturally, the Vikings had to respond.
Cordarrell Patterson returned the ensuing kickoff back 107 yards from end zone to end zone, giving Minnesota back the lead. This all happened – Patterson’s return and the Cowboy’s first touchdown – just 25 seconds into the second quarter. Preseason football is exciting!
At least the Vikings’ Twitter thought so:
Terrance Williams Sprinted 60 Yards For a Dallas Touchdown
The Dallas Cowboys wideout ran the length of the field, splitting the Vikings secondary to get his team on the board in the opening minutes of the second quarter.
Mike Wallace’s 39-Yard Reception Set Up a Vikings FG
The Vikings widout – who already had three receptions before the end of the first quarter – got very close with the sideline as Teddy Bridgewater found him for a 39-yard reception late in the first quarter. The Dallas secondary claimed that Wallace had stepped out of bounds, but the catch was fair and more than enough to get the Vikings into the red zone.
Although the Vikings appeared to be knocking on the end zone, Dallas rookie Randy Gregory continued his impressive preseason with a sack to force a field goal in the waning minutes of the first. Gregory now has a sack in each of his first preseason games.
Game Preview
Teddy Bridgewater has looked good this preseason. He’s thrown 28 passes and completed 22 of them for 219 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. As far as preseason numbers go, those are pretty good – particularly for the franchise quarterback of the future. While Bridgewater is looking to jumpstart a solid second-season, Vikings rookie linebacker Eric Kendricks is trying to make sure his first year on the gridiron is just as dominant.
Kendricks has shown promise early this preseason and while Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer claims he hasn’t decided whether or not to start the rookie at middle linebacker, it seems he’s well on his way there.
Meanwhile, on the Dallas side of things, injuries have dominated the Cowboys headlines this week, particularly after the loss of cornerback Orlando Scandrick who reportedly tore his ACL and MCL in practice on Tuesday. The Cowboys are going to have to move some things around in the secondary that has already seen some sizable shifts in the offsesaon. Saturday night’s matchup against the Vikings, and Bridgewater’s arm, will be one heck of a test for this defensive group.