J.J. McCarthy leads Vikings to 34-26 win over Cowboys on 'Sunday Night Football'

The Vikings are now on a two-game winning streak, while the Cowboys’ already slim playoff hopes are now incredibly faint.

Good game for the maligned J.J. McCarthy, who threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cowboys would still be alive in this game if not for the field goal kicking tonight.

Brandon Aubrey entered tonight with nine field goals made from 50-plus yards, but he missed two such attempts tonight.

Vikings kicker Will Reichard made his only attempt from over 50, however, and that’s the difference between Dallas’ driving for a potential tie or win right now.

Facing fourth-and-1 from midfield with three minutes to play in regulation, the Vikings and their run game pushed through Dallas' porous defense to get a fresh set of downs.

Dallas has used two of its three timeouts to stop the clock on this drive so far.

Dak Prescott hung in the pocket on fourth and 7, and he eventually found Malik Davis in the middle of the field for a completion. But Davis caught the ball one yard short of the first-down marker and couldn’t shake free of a tackle to advance the ball any farther.

As a result, a 51-yard Dallas drive stalled out at the Vikings’ 45-yard line. Minnesota will take over leading 31-23 with 5:21 to go.

J.J. McCarthy's 4-yard pass to Jalen Nailor puts Minnesota ahead, 31-23, in the fourth quarter. It's Nailor's second TD catch tonight.

It's hard to believe this is the same Vikings offense that scored six points combined in Weeks 12 and 13. But since then, the Vikings scored 31 on Washington last week and are now at 31 again against Dallas. Maybe all McCarthy needed was to face two of the NFL's worst defenses in a row.

Brandon Aubrey is normally one of the best kickers in the NFL, but he just missed his second kick of the night, this time from 59 yards.

Aubrey entered tonight with only two misses all season. He has now matched that total in this game.

The Vikings still lead 24-23.

Both teams tonight are averaging more than 6 yards per play in what has been an entertaining first three quarters. Though the Vikings are only 2-7 on third down and the Cowboys are 1-9, the teams are a combined 5-for-5 on fourth down.

Minnesota's eight-play, 73-yard scoring drive results in a short touchdown run and a 24-23 lead with a minute to go in the third quarter.

C.J. Ham walked in virtually untouched to the end zone. J.J. McCarthy and top wideout Justin Jefferson continue to struggle to build their connection, however, after McCarthy overthrew a wide-open Jefferson earlier in the drive, only for Jefferson to drop a sure touchdown several plays later.

The Cowboys kicker is 3-for-4 tonight after a 41-yard kick to extend the Cowboys' lead to 23-17 with five minutes to go in the third quarter.

Dak Prescott has 202 yards passing on 16-of-26 passing. He had 52 yards of passing on that scoring drive.

No Cowboys running back has run for 1,100 yards or more in a season since Ezekiel Elliott in 2019, but Javonte Williams could eclipse that threshold as soon as this quarter. Williams entered tonight needing 78 yards to reach 1,100 for the season, and he's already up to 52 on nine carries.

Minnesota goes three-and-out on its first possession of the second half, gaining just one yard.

A chip-shot field goal by Brandon Aubrey puts Dallas ahead 20-17 after it scores on its opening drive of the second half.

Aubrey is 2-for-3 tonight on field goals. Credit a heads-up play by Dak Prescott earlier in the drive for putting Dallas in scoring position. His flip to Luke Schoonmaker gained 29 yards to move the Cowboys into the red zone.

Dallas will receive the ball to begin the second half in a game tied 17-all.

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has averaged 6.0 yards per pass attempt in this, his first career season, but tonight's first half has seen him average 10 yards per pass.

That's encouraging for his team, but can McCarthy get Justin Jefferson involved more often? Daron Bland's coverage on Jefferson has limited Jefferson's ability to get separation. He has one catch for 12 yards.

The Cowboys kept pace with the Vikings, adding a 37-yard field goal three seconds before halftime to tie the game at 17.

Fun one in Dallas so far.

J.J. McCarthy is having one of his better games as a pro. He has completed eight of 13 passes for 142 yards, with one touchdown and one pick.

Dak Prescott is 10-of-18 for 120 yards. Dallas has scored two touchdowns on 1-yard runs.

The teams combined for nearly 350 yards of total offense in the first half. Minnesota has been the more explosive club, averaging 6.9 yards per play compared with the Cowboys’ 4.7.

Minnesota's Will Reichard makes a 29-yard field goal to put the Vikings ahead, 17-14, with 1:48 left before halftime. J.J. McCarthy is now up to 142 yards passing, while the Vikings are averaging a crisp 6.9 yard per play.

Since his interception on his first pass of the night, the Vikings quarterback has completed eight of his last 10 passes for 130 yards, including a touchdown. For a Minnesota team that has held its breath concerning McCarthy's development, this has been an impressive bounce-back.

The Cowboys converted one fourth down en route to Vikings territory. But after Dak Prescott was sacked on third and 5, Dallas opted for a 51-yard kick from Brandon Aubrey ... which he missed wide right.

It’s a surprise no-good for the Cowboys’ big-legged kicker. The Vikings will take over with the game tied at 14.

J.J. McCarthy sold a handoff so beautifully on fourth and goal that he literally danced in for a score and a 14-all tie here in the second quarter.

The play came after a previous touchdown was negated. McCarthy threw a touchdown to Justin Jefferson in the back of the end zone, but an illegal formation penalty wiped out the tying score, which would have been Jefferson's first touchdown in 42 days.

Pushed back 5 yards to the 8-yard line by the penalty, McCarthy scrambled to within a yard of the end zone on third down, prompting Minnesota to go for it on fourth.

That was quick!

Less than three minutes of game time after the Vikings tied things up, the Cowboys have retaken the lead. Dallas marched 73 yards in only six plays, highlighted by a 30-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb.

Malik Davis finished the drive with a short touchdown run.

The Cowboys lead 14-7.

Entertaining opening quarter!

The Cowboys turned a J.J. McCarthy interception into the game’s first touchdown, but the Vikings eventually came back on their third possession to tie the game.

Dallas needs this one to keep its playoff hopes alive. Minnesota seems determined to play spoiler, though.

J.J. McCarthy shakes off his poor first two series and somehow finds Jalen Nailor for a touchdown pass here in the first quarter. It's a tie game at 7-7.

Quick second possession for the Cowboys, who punted after only three plays after being backed up deep into their own territory.

The Vikings (5-8) have struggled to follow up last year's 14-3 record, but that's not altogether unusual for the franchise, which has not finished with a winning record in consecutive seasons since 2018-19. And Minnesota also has not made the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2008-09.

The silver lining from Minnesota's second possession is that it ended with one heck of a great punt. Other than that, the Vikings went five plays and 18 yards before needing to give the ball back to Dallas.

What a drive for the Cowboys.

Dallas converted two fourth downs — one via fake field goal, one via bruising run — before ultimately punching it into the end zone. Javonte Williams capped the possession with a 1-yard run to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead.

The Vikings will go back on offense after opening the game with an interception.

The Vikings appeared to have made a stop on defense, holding Dallas to a field goal attempt after an early interception. But the Cowboys faked the kick, and instead, Brandon Aubrey ran for a first down to keep the drive alive.

J.J. McCarthy, trying to follow up last week's encouraging performance, immediately starts with an interception after his first pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Dallas takes over.

... And "Sunday Night Football" is underway! J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings' offense will get started from their own 32-yard line.

The Cowboys' defense was turning a corner during the team’s three-game winning streak from Weeks 11 to -13 before giving up 44 points (tying a season high) and 408 yards of offense in their Week 14 loss at Detroit. The Cowboys had one sack and did not force any turnovers against the Lions.

Overall this season, Dallas ranks 29th in total defense (378.6 yards/game) and 31st in scoring defense (29.7 yards/game). The only team allowing more points per game this season is the Bengals (31.8 yards/game).

Cowboys WR George Pickens had five catches for 37 yards in the Week 14 loss at Detroit — his fewest receiving yards since he had 30 in his Cowboys debut in Week 1 at Philadelphia. After the game, former three-time first-team All-Pro cornerback and Prime Video analyst Richard Sherman said Pickens looked “uninterested in playing football” and “disengaged.”

Pickens defended himself afterward, pointing out the extra attention he received from the Lions defense, particularly after WR CeeDee Lamb left the game in the third quarter with a concussion.

Pickens is playing in the final year of his rookie deal and is set to become a free agent after this season. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he would like to have Pickens back next year, with Dak Prescott saying, “I think that’d be priority in the offseason.”

Despite last week’s loss at Detroit, the Cowboys remain 1.5 games out of first place in the NFC East (thanks to the Eagles’ loss at the Chargers on "Monday Night Football") and 2.5 games out of the wild card spots with four games to play.

Entering Week 11, the Cowboys were 3.5 games behind the Eagles. Dallas has won three of its last four games, while the Eagles are on a three-game losing streak, keeping the door open for a late Dallas push to win the division.

The Cowboys and the Eagles split their two meetings this season.

Dallas would win the NFC East if it wins two more games than the Eagles over the final four weeks of the season. That would require the Eagles to lose at least once to a team with 10+ losses (Las Vegas or Washington).

Last week in Detroit, Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey made all five field goals he attempted, tying a career high. Even more notable was that he became the first player to ever make three field goals from 55 yards or longer in one game.

Aubrey's kicks went from 55, 57 and 63 yards.

For his career, Aubrey is 103-for-114 (90.4%) on field goals, making him the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history with a minimum of 100 attempts. Only Cameron Dicker of the Los Angeles Chargers is more accurate (93.8%).

Under coach Kevin O'Connell, the Vikings entered this season 26-9 in games decided by one score or less. This season, their mark in one-score games is 3-4 as the team's offensive consistency — a hallmark of O'Connell's tenure — has wobbled.

Still, O'Connell's 29-13 record in close games is fifth-best in NFL history for coaches with a minimum of 25 games.

After losing 26-0 at Seattle in Week 13, Minnesota turned the tables the following week in a 31-0 win against Washington. In doing so, the Vikings became the first team since the 1992 Broncos to shut out an opponent directly after being shut out itself.

The Cowboys star receiver had caught six passes for 121 yards when he left last week's loss in Detroit with a concussion. The injury followed an ankle sprain that cost him three games this season. Still, Lamb has 865 yards on the season and is on pace to join Michael Irvin as the only Cowboys to catch for 1,100-plus yards in five straight seasons.

But Lamb also has eight drops, tied for the most in the league. Lamb last month acknowledged his need to "lock in on my mentals, man."

Justin Jefferson established himself as one of the NFL's most productive wideouts in his first five seasons, but his team's struggles to pass the ball in 2025 have affected his statistics. The team has started J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer because of injuries. Jefferson's four catches for 15 yards combined over his last two games are his fewest over any two-game stretch in his career.

"I'd rather win and not get the ball than lose and not get the ball," Jefferson said.

Still, Jefferson's 8,242 receiving yards are just 134 yards away from passing former Minnesota great Randy Moss for the most for any player through their first six seasons.

McCarthy, the Vikings' first-year starting quarterback, committed 11 turnovers in his first six games. Last week showcased a change — his first turnover-free game in the NFL.

McCarthy completed a career-high 69% of his passes in last week's win against Washington and three touchdowns.

"He deserves this type of game. Just the hard work that he’s been putting in, and the criticism," receiver Justin Jefferson said. "He’s a young quarterback. I don’t think people really understand that. They forget he didn’t really play last year. This is his first year really playing. There are going to be times when there’s adversity. Things might not look the greatest, but his keeping on and bouncing back was great."

When Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott throws multiple touchdown passes this season, his team is 6-1-1. When he doesn't, their record is 0-5.

Standing in the way of Prescott throwing multiple touchdowns, however, is his turnover-prone play. With at least one interception in three straight games, and eight turnovers in his last six games, it's a far cry from the way he began this season, with three turnovers combined in his first seven games.

With a win, the Vikings preserve their slim hopes of making the postseason. But a loss or tie will outright eliminate them from playoff contention.

Minnesota could also be eliminated before it even kicks off under two scenarios: a Detroit win/tie at the Rams, or a Chicago win/tie against Cleveland.

The situation in Dallas isn't quite as clear-cut. The Cowboys entered this week 1.5 games behind Philadelphia in the NFC East, with a 9% chance of making the postseason, per Playoff Status.

Dallas is on the precipice of a rare distinction. It could join the 2001 Rams as the only teams since the 1970 merger to average 29-plus points on offense while also allowing 29 or more points on defense, per NBC Sports research.

No offense has gained more yards on average than the Cowboys this season (394.9 yards per game), but only three defenses have allowed more yards than the 378.6 they allow.