Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Vikings ‘flipped the script’ at AT&T Stadium
Minnesota’s offensive success last night can largely be defined by a third-quarter drive in which the Vikings strung together 10 straight run plays.
Vikings Senior Editor Craig Peters spotlighted that series in this week’s Action Reaction, and Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News also pointed to the possession as a difference-maker … but from the Cowboys perspective. He wrote:
\Football is an inherently physical sport. No NFL game is paddy cake. But on Sunday evening, there seemed to be a clash of styles, as the Cowboys were in the unfamiliar position of being the less forceful outfit on the field. \
[Alexander] Mattison for 4 yards. Cook for 6 and 14. Mattison for 12 yards, 3 and 16. Pound. Pound. Pound. Three of the final four were to Cook, the NFL’s leading rusher who finally rumbled for a 2-yard score on fourth down, setting up [Kyle] Rudolph’s two-point conversion.
Gehlken quoted Cowboys linebacker Joe Thomas, who said he and his teammates knew what type of an offense they were facing.
“We knew what it was going to be,” Thomas said. “That’s the way they’re built. They’re big up front. … We knew they were going to come out and try to run the ball, do what we do on offense. They accomplished that.”
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones also tipped his hat to Minnesota, as Gehlken pointed out:
“I was impressed with how they were able to run the ball,” Jones said. “We know you’ve got to be physical to get that done, and I thought they did a real good job of getting their runners out in space. I was really impressed. Running the ball, being physical, that takes a lot out of the opposing team.”
It was a strange sight, watching a team impose itself against the Cowboys in the same manner the Cowboys seek to impose themselves against opponents.