EAGAN, Minn. — It's only right the 1,000th regular-season Vikings game will be played under the lights.

Minnesota (542-446-11 since founding in 1961) heads to the Lonestar State to face Dallas (575-429-7 since 1960) on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. (CT).

The prime-time meeting pits fourth-year Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell against Brian Schottenheimer, who is a first-time head coach for the Cowboys and coached O'Connell from 2009-11.

Earlier this week, Schottenheimer raved about O'Connell, who was a backup QB for the Jets when "Schotty" was the offensive coordinator. The Vikings coach passed along similar sentiments Friday.

"If you've ever been around the guy, he's very personable, very football-intelligent, and he's a leader of men. So I was not surprised when he became a head coach," Schottenheimer said. "I was not surprised to see his success because every time I've been around him, I've been impressed by him as a man, a husband, a father, all those things."

O'Connell noted "true leadership has to be in place to weather" the circumstances Dallas has dealt with this season.

"But it's not just doing that. It's coming out and the team coming closer together, and the team playing at a really high level," O'Connell added. "And you can see the culture that's being built there that he obviously has his fingerprints all over. And you can tell the players just love playing for him just from afar watching the tape, the excitement of their sideline, the commitment of those guys."

O'Connell listed LT Christian Darrisaw and RB Ty Chandler as questionable to play Sunday night at AT&T Stadium. Darrisaw was limited in practice Friday. The team opened Chandler's 21-day window to return from Injured Reserve on Dec. 3. He sustained a knee injury in the season-opener at Chicago.

Vikings Uniform

Minnesota will swivel from its typical road uniforms and wear purple jerseys and purple pants for just the 18^th time in franchise history. Dallas has long followed a tradition of dressing in white at home so fans can experience visiting teams' colors. The Vikings are 10-7 all-time in variants of "Purple on Purple" but 0-2 against the Cowboys.

3 Vikings Storylines

1. The right motivation

Minnesota's playoff prospects are bleaker than our chances of a toasty afternoon from now until April. They'll go kaput before kickoff at "Jerry World" if the Bears top the Browns and the 49ers beat the Titans.

That's a tough pill to swallow, considering last year's wildly successful regular season (14-3) and the organizational efforts made this spring to strengthen a veteran-laden roster with players intended to be the missing pieces. Blame it on injuries. Blame it on inconsistencies. Blame it on self-inflicted mistakes.

But don't blame it on the culture, because it's one part of this Vikings team that's stronger than ever.

There are infinite examples: teammates supporting 22-year-old starting QB J.J. McCarthy amidst stretches of turbulence — and singing his praises when he sizzled the Commanders in his seventh game; defenders staying on their Ps and Qs throughout a campaign spurned by "what ifs" — what if that tipped pass landed a few inches to the left or hung in the air a half second longer, and what if opposing offenses had to assume just a little more risk instead of playing conservatively thanks to Minnesota's erratic offensive execution; and the locker room banding together through it all instead of breaking apart.

Frustration has been visible, but so has elation — yes, even with a record that is three games under .500.

Playing for pride is the key. To want to go 1-0 regardless of what it means for next week. Straining to put on tape a product that accents the best aspects of this team. Having fun, because that's what football is about, and piggybacking off O'Connell, is what honors the players' 16-year-old version of themselves.

2. From vision to fruition

On the topic of "what ifs" … what if Minnesota rolled out a healthy offensive line featuring Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries and Brian O'Neill? What could that look like in a game?

The answer is 162 rush yards, zero runs for losses and enough time for McCarthy to pick apart a defense.

Unfortunately, Week 14 was the first real sampling of the starting five o-line that the Vikings envisioned could be a strong suit in 2025. Playing together for only the second time this year (all five players started at Green Bay in Week 12, but Darrisaw and Jackson sustained injuries and couldn't finish the game), the blueprints were finally realized. It translated to NFL-caliber pockets and a power-punching ground game.

Kelly's impact provoked a deep answer from O'Connell on Wednesday. The coach gushed about the center's physicality and his "total command" of the offensive line. McCarthy elaborated and said Kelly has a fatherly feel in the huddle and takes a lot off his plate in terms of checks at the line of scrimmage.

With the o-line likely intact for the first time in back-to-back games, and with Dallas' front giving up the fourth-most rushing TDs (17), a double-dose of the run seems like a smart Vikings strategy. It could help keep McCarthy's load light and let Aaron Jones, Sr., and Jordan Mason pick up where they've thrived for most of the slate. They're averaging 4.6 and 4.7 yards per carry, respectively.

3. Maintaining momentum

A fast start and a spree of takeaways captured momentum one week ago.

Replicating that formula is going to be paramount for Minnesota on the road against the No. 1 total offense in the NFL and a team that's still pulling everything out of the bag to fight for its playoff lives.

The truth is the Vikings haven't done very well this season holding onto momentum. Minnesota hasn't won consecutive games since Weeks 16 and 17 last year. Its most recent set of games gaining 300-plus yards occurred in Weeks 4, 5 and 7 (Week 6 was the bye) when veteran QB Carson Wentz was filling in for McCarthy against Pittsburgh (24-21 loss), Cleveland (21-17 win) and Philadelphia (28-22 loss). And its last time winning the turnover margin, like it did 3-0 against Washington, was back in Week 3 … versus Cincinnati and backup QB Jake Browning (5-0).

Momentum has been hard to attain and harder to conserve.

The positive news is Week 14 was a template of sorts. The Vikings opted to receive the opening kickoff (teams generally elect to defer until the second half when they win the coin toss to potentially have a shot to "double dip," starting with an end-of-first-half possession), and marched 61 yards for a TD after rookie returner Myles Price delivered excellent field position. That series altered mind frames; it gave Minnesota's defense a cushion and confidence and swayed Washington's offense into a fourth-and-goal conversion attempt that failed. The "fast start" effectively boosted the performances of all three phases.

Furthermore, last Sunday's romp of the Commanders emphasized the butterfly effect of the run game.

Minnesota averaged 5.0 yards on three rushes on its initial drive and 4.2 on 19 in the first half overall. It was a night-and-day difference from the showing at Seattle when Jones and Mason combined for 6 yards on their first three tries and the unit as a whole posted 10 on seven attempts across the first two frames.

Early efficiency is tied to belief — of what's possible the rest of the game — and is central to momentum.

2 Things 'Bout the Cowboys

1. Dynamic WR duo

Dallas has offset the NFL's worst pass defense (255.2 yards per game) and second-worst scoring defense (29.7 ppg) with elite quarterback play and two extremely gifted wide receivers. OK, "offset" is gratuitous.

Dallas is 6-6-1 for a reason and it's got a lot to do with a defense that's allowed 40-burgers three times.

There's also more to the Cowboys offense, namely 1,000-yard running back Javonte Williams, who is averaging a personal-best 4.8 yards per carry and enjoying a career renaissance after four middling years in Denver, and tight end Jake Ferguson, who has 13 red-zone catches and five touchdowns inside the 10.

We digress.

Dak Prescott is smoking defenses. He leads the NFL with 3,637 pass yards (279.8 avg.) and a 73.4 QBR. His 69.0 percent clip is bordering his top mark set in his second-place MVP season in 2023 (69.5), and his 56 passes to convert on third down is more than anyone. Honestly, he's cooking at an MVP level, again.

Enter, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

One is averaging 15.1 yards per catch, the other 15.2. One is dropping 90.7 receiving yards per game on coverages aimed at slowing his roll, the other 86.5. One is 24 years old, the other 26. Both are dangerous and unusual talents who can flip defenses inside out with only a handful of catches and whole lotta YAC.

Dallas' three-and-out percentage (15.2) is the lowest in the league in part because Pickens and Lamb are two of the best players at their position and challenge defenses in an overbearing manner. Amazingly, they are the only players who've drawn 100-plus yards on defensive pass interference penalties this year. They also rank Nos. 1 and 2 in receiving yards versus man coverage per NGS (Pickens 515 and Lamb 410).

Minnesota leans on zone looks, for what it's worth, and has forced three-and-punts on 26.2% of drives.

2. Electric specialists

It's not often special teams are one of the main draws of a prime-time game.

But Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey has a bionic leg. And returner/receiver KaVontae Turpin has violent speed. Aubrey is 16-for-19 on field goals … in his career … from 55-plus yards. His 2025 long is 64. At Detroit, he hit from 63, nonchalantly. His range is far enough for coaches to talk through scenarios that uniquely apply to Aubrey before the game. Similarly, Turpin can turn heads in the third phase. He weighs as much as the dumbbells that IFBB Pros at Los Campeones Gym bench press in each hand, but he moves like a rabbit. Turpin housed one punt and one kickoff in 2024 and remains a constant threat in both areas despite a dip in his averages. Going 0-60 is his superpower — but his patience is underrated.

1 Key Matchup

Vikings IOL vs. Cowboys IDL

A matchup with Dallas without Micah Parsons is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it takes a game-wrecker off the edge out of the equation. On the other hand, dealing Parsons to the Packers (oh great, Minnesota will face him twice a year now!) netted the Cowboys three-time Pro Bowl DT Kenny Clark (18 games vs. the Vikings) and the draft capital to trade for tough-to-contain DT Quinnen Williams.

Williams has 24 QB pressures since debuting for Dallas in Week 11, according to Next Gen Stats. Three players — only three — have more in that span, and they are savants off the edge: Parsons (30), Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson (27) and Jacksonville's Josh Allen-Hines (26). Houston's Will Anderson, Jr., is fifth (23).

Clark has seen a slight reduction in snaps since Williams' arrival, but his production has not waned. He was credited by Pro Football Focus with five QBP, including four hurries, in the upset of Kansas City on Thanksgiving and ranks 11^th among interior defensive linemen with 29 hurries on the season. The leader entering Week 15, by the way, is Philadelphia's Moro Ojomo (36), and Williams is tied for fourth with 34.

Even sans Parsons, the Cowboys defense has ascending edge players in Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston and Sam Williams, as well as older forces such as Jadeveon Clowney and Dante Fowler. The underlying problems are situated inside, though, because the quickest path to the QB is a straight line.

Top Quotes of Week 15

Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels on Harrison Smith nabbing his 38^th career interception

"He was so elated for that. I mean, I'm so happy for him. No. 38, getting that on the board right there, that was so exciting to see. I think he was trying to hide his excitement just a little bit about it. But, I mean, you could just see it all over his face, just the joy. … That was really exciting to see, and he really went to go get that one. It wasn't your typical tip or overthrow, like, that was a great safety play made by 'Hitman', man, and I was so excited for him. Hopefully we can find a way to get him two more so we can get him in the '40 club.' … [Him trying to pitch it right away] is something they do all the time in practice. He's either, A) looking for 4-4 (Joshua Metellus), or he's looking for Isaiah Rodgers, trying to get it in their hands because he knows he doesn't have much gas left in the tank to be able to take it the distance."

Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores on if there's a precedent for Eric Wilson breaking out at age 31

"There's nobody that really jumps out. The guy I think of is Zack Baun, who kind of went from being kind of a rotational player to going to Philly last year and taking on a huge role — but he's younger, obviously. … That would really be the only name. But, like I said, he's a lot younger. I've said this in numerous production meetings, I wish I had E.W. five years ago when he was [26]. I think he's smart, he's tough. He loves to play. He loves to practice. He wants to get better. He's trying to improve on a daily basis. I think Mike Siravo has done a great job with him, kind of bringing out the things that he really does well, and us trying to put him in positions to do those things; he's a really good blitzer; he plays well in tandem with 'Cash' (Blake Cashman) and really with other players; and he's been impactful. He really has — both on the field and off. And I'm excited for him and his growth and his ability to just take advantage of these opportunities. And we need him. And we'll certainly need him this week against this Dallas group. …

"He knows how to beat backs, but he also knows how to manipulate the protection from the 'backer position to run picks, games and allow himself or someone else to potentially come free, especially if it's a 2-on-2 situation … and the players he's working with know that he does a good job with those things, and it's something that there's that kind of football chatter happening, defensively. And when those situations arise, it's one thing to [practice it], but he's able to really apply it and get it done in the game."

Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips on Brian O'Neill, a finalist for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

"He's a good sport. Brian's the best. I mean, [he's] unfazed by anything, but [aware of] what he needs to do today to work and practice, to focus, to keep the group together. I mean, he's not the only one in that room that does that, but he's obviously a leader on our team, being a captain, but particularly in that offensive line room. He's [always] going to have a smile on his face … He's going to keep things positive. He's going to go out and work consistently, work at his craft. He doesn't look at himself as a finished product by any means, even with the success he's had in this league. He's the best."

From the Inbox | by Craig Peters

It amazes me how surprised some people are with the win. Sunday was the first time our starting O-line all played together. C.J. Ham is playing again (doesn't get enough attention, but maybe that's a good thing). Defense, offense, and special teams all performed well. Something we haven't had all season.

— Dianne from Duluth

The Vikings were able to have a dominating day against a Commanders team that has suffered multiple blowouts, as well as a few excruciating losses, this season. That's not too dissimilar from the Vikings, who executed at key moments (goal line stand was followed by the 19-play, 98-yard drive) and made things tougher on Washington.

Ham's 26 offensive snaps tied for the 17^th most (two other times) during his NFL career and are his most under O'Connell. The Vikings were able to blend a variety of personnel groupings.

According to Next Gen Stats, Minnesota played almost half the game (30 snaps) in 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE and 3 WR) but also used 12 (1 RB, 2 TE and 2 WR) for 12 plays, 22 (2 RB, 2 TE and 1 WR) for eight plays, 21 (2 RB, 1 TE and 2 WR) for six and 13 (1 RB, 3 TE and 1 WR) for five. Interestingly, Minnesota scored a touchdown in 11, 22, 21 and 13 personnel groupings.

While there's no way to fully carry over a previous season into the next, there are some substantial foundation-building opportunities, and it will be interesting to see if this team can build a bit of momentum to end a season in which it's been tough for Minnesota to maintain momentum.

It was an awesome win! Minnesota Moving Company back? Here's hoping the team plays as good as they did (against Washington), this coming Sunday night in Dallas. I'll be at the game, as this game turned out to be our travel group game. Let's SKOL Chant Jerry's world!

— Rick in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Glad you will be able to make the relatively short trek (under 300 miles) to this game. Last week marked the second iteration of the intended starting five (also at Green Bay in Week 12) and first instance of that group finishing the game (minus Christian Darrisaw, who was relieved of duty once the game was out of hand). I don't think it's random that the Vikings offense drove the field without facing a third down for the first TD of the game and then followed by converting five third downs, which all started with a scramble by McCarthy, for the second TD.

Finally, the Vikings played a solid game. The entire team played well. That was nice to see. I would like to see this team perform in Dallas. A decent running game really helps the play calling and gives the defense some needed rest throughout the game. McCarthy had a good game. He is young, and we all hope he will continue to develop. I am also looking ahead to the draft. An upgraded O and D line along with a strong young running back might be a direction to look at next season. This is not a complaint, but the teams that win in the trenches win a lot of football games.

— Craig in Alabama

The Vikings underwent quite the overhaul on the interior of the offensive and defensive lines this offseason.

The injuries on the offensive line have caused so much inconsistency, and that position group clearly affects every other spot on the offense. With the intended five together, Minnesota was able to get tight ends out on routes more than when they were being kept in to help with protection. Passes to tight ends are often friendlier for QBs (of any age) because they are closer and the defender covering them might not be as much of a ballhawk/lockdown technician on the outside or have safety help.

The defensive line has worked through fewer off-and-on injuries but can be more of a plug-and-play situation than it is for the offensive line. With a new starting interior this season, perhaps it took some time playing in this system for things to click better. PFF noted the role the defensive line had in Minnesota's win against Washington.

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