The Minnesota Vikings are still technically playing for the postseason, though their chances are minuscule even after a 31-0 drubbing of the Washington Commanders in Week 14.
Minnesota faces the second of three consecutive NFC East Division opponents on Sunday when it travels to Texas to square off with the Dallas Cowboys. Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy is coming off the best start of his NFL career, and thus the team is carrying some momentum with it on the road.
However, Minnesota’s chances to start a winning streak and potentially keep the season alive for another week took a significant blow on Thursday when star Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb returned to practice for the second day in a row.
“CeeDee Lamb was on the practice field for a second straight day as he works back from a concussion,” Todd Archer of ESPN reported December 11. “Barring setback, it would appear as if he will play Sunday against the Vikings.”
CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens Combo Can Cause Serious Problems for Vikings Defense
GettyWide receiver CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys.
Of course, that is good news in general, as well as for Lamb and the Cowboys specifically. Lamb suffered the concussion last Thursday against the Detroit Lions, and his ability to potentially return 10 days later is a great sign for both his health and for his team’s prospects.
But Minnesota’s defense now faces a much tougher challenge in shutting down both Lamb and George Pickens, who is having an All-Pro type of season through 13 games.
Dallas had won three games in a row heading into Detroit last weekend and was more competitive in that game than the final score indicated. Meanwhile, the Vikings defense is grappling with some serious issues in the secondary and was already thin at the cornerback position.
Vikings Recently Demoted Starting Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, Worsening Coverage in Secondary
GettyCornerback Isaiah Rodgers of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota recently demoted Isaiah Rodgers from his starting spot as the second outside cornerback to a part-time rotation player working mostly in nickel packages.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert explained that defensive coordinator Brian Flores made the decision due to Rodgers’ inability to tackle in space, which was so detrimental that the team went with an inferior coverage option in safety Jay Ward at cornerback to fix the tackling issue.
“Rodgers was a big-time free agent pickup for the Vikings last offseason,” Seifert said. “But as the season wore on, he really struggled making tackles in the open field specifically. His coverage was OK, but the tackling really struggled, and Jay Ward is better at that.”
Swapping Ward for Rodgers doesn’t make Minnesota better in coverage, and that is a problem when the defense is about to go on the road to face perhaps the best receiver duo in the NFL.
The Cowboys also have a better record than the Vikings, a better chance to make the postseason and thereby arguably more desperation/more for which to play. As such, the combination of developments across the two franchises over the past two days clearly favors Dallas.
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