Wilber’s big play keys Cowboys’ 11th straight victory

It has worked to make the Cowboys and Oakland Raiders two of the NFL’s elite teams in 2016, and to make the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins relevant once more as playoff contenders. Dallas had only one other game this season with two turnovers.

“Definitely the epitome of a team win”, said Dallas linebacker Kyle Wilber, who recovered a muffed punt for the Cowboys’ first takeaway in five games. Without a serious threat at running back for Minnesota, Dallas was able to put more pressure on Bradford and the Vikings receivers. It should come as no surprise that he was rated the game’s worst player by Pro Football Focus. Prescott only threw 18 times, completing 12 for 139 yards. Trailing 17-15 after scoring a touchdown with less than 30 seconds in the fourth quarter, the Vikings went for two points. Whitehead was hit from behind by Griffen, and Eric Kendricks scooped up the fumble.

While Sam Bradford passed for 247 yards and Minnesota’s only touchdown, the entire Vikings team only rushed for 87 yards, led by Jerick McKinnon, who had 41 rushing yards and Minnesota’s lone receiving touchdown.

All season long, the Dallas Cowboys have won on offense while their defense remained underappreciated.

If Friday’s game proved anything, it’s that something needs to change.

Kicker Kai Forbath made all three of his field goal attempts.

Reports indicate that seven time Pro Bowler Peterson is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery, which is good news for the Vikings’s offence, which now ranks bottom in yards average per game.

Bradford was sacked three times and had to leave the game on the final drive of the second quarter after taking a helmet from Maliek Collins to his rib cage.

Bradford argued to the officials after the 2-point conversion failed, saying the Cowboys should have been penalized when a defender hit him in the facemask. But the Vikings played a stellar defensive game that had the footprints of Zimmer all over the game plan.

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t known for doing well in the month of December, but this team isn’t the Dallas of old. They didn’t allow the running game to get going and didn’t give up the big plays.

It took the Cowboys just one play to turn the gift into the go-ahead score.

They say mom is always right, but Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has built a strong case for all of the “daddies”. Dan Bailey hit his only field goal attempt and both PATs while punter Chris Jones put three of his six punts inside the 20. But in Week 15 and Week 16, they play two teams who are now 5-6: the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers.

Priefer’s only critical decision turned out well, a challenge late in the fourth quarter that resulted in a first down being overturned for Dallas when replays showed Prescott’s slide began before the marker.

The losses have been gut punches and daggers since November 6 when Detroit tied the game as time expired and won 22-16 in overtime. Also, let’s not forget, if wide receiver Terrance Williams had the field awareness and wherewithal to simply run out of bounds on their final drive against the New York Giants in Week 1, the Cowboys could very well be sitting atop the National Football League standings with an undefeated record.

The Bills are two games behind Denver for the second wild-card spot in the AFC and could be headed to a 17th straight season without a playoff berth.