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5 things that stood out in the Vikings' loss to Cowboys

Hockenson's drop, Za'Darius' whiff and the worst home loss since 1980.

Joe Nelson

5 things that stood out in the Vikings' loss to Cowboys
5 things that stood out in the Vikings' loss to Cowboys /

It was U-G-L-Y from start to finish for the Minnesota Vikings as they were beaten to a pulp in a 40-3 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. All in all, Minnesota is 8-2, four wins ahead of Detroit and Green Bay in the NFC North and a lock to cruise into the playoffs, but that was literally the worst home loss in more than 40 years. Here's what stood out... 

1. T.J. Hockenson's dropped touchdown

Minnesota got three points out of this drive, but it should've been a touchdown. Hockenson let a perfect pass from Kirk Cousins slip through his hands in the back-left corner of the end zone. If he'd caught it, the Vikings would've led 7-3. 

2. Za'Darius Smith's missed sack

On the first play of Dallas' 14-play drive that ended in a field goal in the second quarter, Za'Darius Smith had what appeared to be a free sack when Dak Prescott turned around to find the 6'4'', 275-pound linebacker in his face. But Smith whiffed on the sack and Prescott was able to scramble for a 1-yard gain. 

Thirteen plays later Brett Maher hit a 53-yard field goal for a 13-3 Dallas lead. Had Smith dropped Prescott, the Cowboys would've been backed up inside their 10-yard line. 

3. Christian Darrisaw concussed again

The star left tackle for the Vikings left last week's game with a concussion only to recover on time to start against the Cowboys. But he suffered another concussion in the first quarter and didn't return. That likely means he won't be able to play when the Vikings host the Patriots on Thanksgiving night. 

Blake Brandel replaced Darrisaw both times he was concussed, so he's the likely start Thursday night against New England. 

4. Third-and-14 dagger

On the opening drive of the second half and the Cowboys already leading 23-3, Dak Prescott lobbed a pass to Tony Pollard on a wheel route that he caught and sprinted all the way to the end zone for a 68-yard score and a 30-3 lead. 

Jordan Hicks was one-on-one with Pollard on the play and had no chance. 

Did we mention it was third-and-14?

5. Worst home loss since 1980

The 37-point loss is the largest at home since 1980. Prior to Sunday's decimation, the worst home loss in team was a 35-point beatdown at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Ahmad Rashad hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Kramer to cut Philly's lead to 14-7 in the second quarter on that Sept. 14 day only to have the Eagles rattle off 28 straight points en route to a 42-7 win. 

That game was played at Metropolitan Stadium. The Metrodome opened in 1981. 

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17. 

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