Dallas Cowboys Playoff DREAMS on the Line | Could Vikings Pull Off Big Upset?

Summary

Locked On Cowboys – "Dallas Cowboys Playoff DREAMS on the Line | Could Vikings Pull Off Big Upset?"

Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Marcus Moser (Locked On Cowboys), Luke Braun (Locked On Vikings)
Type: Crossover episode (Cowboys vs. Vikings preview)

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Episode Overview

This crossover episode between Locked On Cowboys and Locked On Vikings provides an in-depth preview of the pivotal Week 15 Sunday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. With Dallas chasing a playoff berth and Minnesota playing for pride (and possibly an upset), the hosts dive deep into key storylines, matchup concerns, team trends, and the mental/emotional stakes defining each team’s 2025 campaign.

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Main Themes & Purpose

• Cowboys’ Playoff Urgency: Dallas must win out to keep playoff (and division) dreams alive.
• Vikings’ Quarterback Watch: Minnesota hopes to see real progress and consistency from rookie J.J. McCarthy.
• Narratives of Primetime: How both teams emotionally respond to the primetime stage, and what that might do to game flow.
• Matchups & Strategies: Where each team is most vulnerable, how coaching approaches might shift, and what key player battles could decide the game.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of Each Franchise & Emotional Stakes

• Marcus frames the game as "must-win" for Dallas, with the Cowboys needing to sweep their final four for a playoff shot (04:04). He cautions that despite being favorites, matchup context and NFL unpredictability mean nothing is guaranteed—especially versus a prideful Vikings squad in primetime.
• Luke stresses the central Vikings storyline: “Can J.J. McCarthy string together two good games in a row?” (03:01). Last week’s win was promising, but came against a checked-out Washington team; now comes a test against a contender with real urgency.

Notable Quote:
“Can they do this against a team with something to play for, with a little bit more to prove… Was that a fluke or was that really a change they needed to make?”
— Luke Braun (03:01)

• The hosts discuss team psychology: For the Vikings, it’s pride, contracts, and evaluation season. For Dallas, there's the palpable tension of high expectations and the city’s history of close deficits and wild divisional swings.

2. Primetime Pressure & “Sweaty Dak” Syndrome

• Both teams have track records of uneven emotional response to primetime, with Marcus noting how “Sweaty Dak” (an overly-amped Prescott) has led to slow starts (07:15).
• Luke relates that Minnesota’s young QB and roster can be “too amped,” leading to mistakes—another key question mark for a high-stakes Sunday Night stage (07:37).

3. The Vikings’ Defensive Identity Crisis

• Marcus asks why Brian Flores’s aggressive defense isn’t causing the mayhem it used to (08:15).
• Luke answers candidly: turnovers have disappeared. Minnesota still blitzes a lot and generates pressure, but the playmaking edge is missing. Tackling is often too high with a focus on ball-poking, which isn’t paying off in forced fumbles.

Notable Quote:
“The most frustrating thing about this defense… they're coming off a shutout, and they're actually really hot right now. …They love to tackle high and go for the ball, and they just haven't forced any fumbles that way since, like, week three."
— Luke Braun (08:41)

• The run defense is described as up-and-down, and veteran safety Harrison Smith’s declining range means explosive plays happen when risks don’t pay off.

4. “Small Corners, Big Receivers” & The Middle of the Field

• Both agree that Dallas's receiving corps (Lamb and Pickens) will challenge Minnesota’s undersized corners (13:43–16:09). However, neither expects a simple “win with size” game; it’s more about athleticism and YAC.
• Luke points out Minnesota’s biggest schematic vulnerability: “...the game plan you walk in with is we are going to throw over the middle” (15:14). If Dallas can exploit this with slants/Ferguson, it could dictate the night.

Notable Moment:
The Vikings’ preference for zone and bracketing, rather than matching up man-to-man with outsized receivers.
“I would say the Vikings probably aren’t going to man up a lot… It’s going to be a bracket. …Let’s blitz and let's say you can't get the—He'll be as open as you want, can't get the ball out.”
— Luke Braun (15:14)

5. The “Pickens Problem” (Effort, Attitude & Impact)

• Marcus singles out the George Pickens drama: lackluster effort vs. Detroit, public shaming by Richard Sherman, and now a “tough love” intervention by OC Brian Schottenheimer (16:58). Will Pickens play at 110% to prove a point, or fade under pressure/frustration if bracketed?
• Parallels are drawn to Justin Jefferson, who is dominating attention but struggling stat-wise due to double teams and quarterback issues (17:52). Can Minnesota scheme him open, or will Cowboys' Cover 3 (with Daron Bland singled up) take him out?

6. Defensive Scheming & Playoff Strategies

• Marcus details that the Cowboys lean heavily on zone—especially Cover 3—with an inconsistent tendency to pressure or cover effectively (19:12). Games often turn into shootouts where both teams move the ball at will.
• Both hosts lament their teams’ pattern of slow starts and self-inflicted wounds (20:10–28:48):

Notable Quote (Vikings):
“They can't go through a drive without some kind of terrible self-inflicted wound that puts them behind the chains that ruin it—Jones drive right. Like they had a game with eight false starts this year…”
— Luke Braun (20:10)

Notable Quote (Cowboys):
“That's why we're talking about this game being a really high scoring game. It wouldn't shock any of us if it's like, hey, welcome back. It's six to three going into the…”
— Marcus Moser (29:10)

7. Keys to Victory & Best-Case Scenarios

For the Vikings (25:14)

• Must win turnover battle—offense cannot keep pace in a shootout.
• Defense needs to either “step up, get a bunch of stops” or force enough mistakes to create short fields and flip the script.
• If it turns into a shootout, “I don't think the Vikings can put up 40 on air” (25:30).

For the Cowboys (27:02)

• Fast start: Dallas can't afford to let Minnesota hang around; must avoid slow opening quarters.
• Aggressive play calling: Push for an early lead, then trust the offense to maintain a positive game script and let the defense close it out.
• The Cowboys’ inconsistent first quarter scoring has been a chronic problem—even with an elite offense.

8. The Corners Conundrum & Final Defensive Tweaks

• Luke quizzes Marcus on Dallas’s secondary matchups, especially with Cover 3 and who would be on Jefferson (30:00–30:48).
• Marcus says it’ll likely be Daron Bland, with all the risks of leaving other corners one-on-one, especially vs. Jordan Addison.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• [03:01] Luke Braun: “Can they do this against a team with something to play for, with a little bit more to prove… Was that a fluke or was that really a change they needed to make?”
• [07:15] Marcus Moser: “You get sweaty Dak in some of these… so amped up… they tend to start out really slow.”
• [08:41] Luke Braun: “They're coming off a shutout, and they're actually really hot right now. They love to tackle high and go for the ball, and they just haven't forced any fumbles that way since, like, week three.”
• [15:14] Luke Braun: “The game plan you walk in with is we are going to throw over the middle. So is that those guys or does this become like a Jake Ferguson game?”
• [16:58] Marcus Moser: “The biggest storyline and matchup for me is just George Pickens versus George Pickens because that Thursday game, the effort was at an all time low… I'm curious to see what happens Sunday. Do we get the all-time like George Pickens going 110%, or do we see more of the same?”
• [20:10] Luke Braun: “They can't go through a drive without some kind of terrible self-inflicted wound that puts them behind the chains that ruin it—Jones drive right. Like they had a game with eight false starts this year.”
• [25:30] Luke Braun: “I don't think the Vikings can put up 40 on air. I don't think they can put up 40 against anybody in this league.”
• [27:02] Marcus Moser: “You can't let Minnesota hang around in this game. Like you don't want this to be a 20 to 17 game going into the fourth quarter.”
• [29:10] Marcus Moser: “It wouldn't shock any of us if it's like, hey, welcome back. It's six to three going into the…” (referencing both teams’ slow starts)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:08] – Episode welcome and framing of the playoff implications
• [03:01] – Vikings storylines: all eyes on J.J. McCarthy’s consistency
• [04:04] – Cowboys’ must-win chase, emotional and narrative stakes
• [07:15] – Primetime nerves and the “Sweaty Dak” phenomenon
• [08:41] – Detailed breakdown of the Vikings’ turnover drought on defense
• [13:43–16:09] – Matchups: Vikings small corners vs. Cowboys dynamic WRs
• [15:14–16:00] – Middle of the field as offensive target
• [16:58–17:52] – George Pickens’ effort and Justin Jefferson’s statistical dip
• [19:12–20:48] – Defensive strategies, zone vs. man, risk of shootouts
• [20:10–28:48] – Patterns of self-inflicted wounds, slow starts
• [25:14–27:02] – Segment on keys to victory for both teams
• [30:00–30:48] – Cowboys’ cornerbacks, who covers Jefferson
• [31:59] – Closing remarks and sign-off

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Conclusion

This is a matchup defined by desperation, inconsistencies, and the search for validation. The Cowboys need to seize momentum early and leverage their superior offensive weaponry while shoring up defensive coverages. The Vikings are looking for back-to-back positive QB performances and hoping their aggressive defense can finally turn pressure into turnovers. Both hosts agree: the outcome hinges on turnovers, emotion management, and which team finally breaks its habit of slow starts.

For Cowboys and Vikings fans alike, this is must-watch football—and a matchup where “the little things” could mean everything.

Transcript

[Marcus Moser]

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[Luke Braun]

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[Marcus Moser]

Week 15 is a must win game for the Cowboys. But don't expect the Vikings to lay down.

[Locked On Podcast Network Announcer]

You are a Locked on NFL crossover part of the Lockedon Podcast network.

Your team every day.

[Marcus Moser]

Welcome back to this crossover edition of the Lock on Cowboys and Lock on Vikings podcast part of the Lockedon Podcast network your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network. Crossover Thursday is presented by Prize picks. Download the price fix app today. Use promo code lot NFL to get fifty dollars in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. Welcome back. I am your host Marcus Moser from Laton Cowboys. He is Luke Braun from Laton Vikings and we are previewing the Sunday night football matchup between the Vikings and the Cowboys And, Luke, this is a big game for the Cowboys because obviously they're hoping to maybe steal the NFC east away from the Eagles. But from a Vikings perspective, what's the biggest storyline in going into this game? Is it simply, can J.J. mcCarthy string together two good games in a row?

[Luke Braun]

That's it.

[Marcus Moser]

Yep.

[Luke Braun]

J.J. mcCarthy had a good game. You know, it was against a commander's team that is very much packed it in for the year. They're already mentally in Cabo pretty clearly. I don't think anybody even over there would argue there. And so it's, you know, it's. It's tempered, right? Oh, great. You know, you beat up on a team that's there as injured as they've ever been. There's, you know, three and nine going into the game. Whatever. Can they do this against a team with something to play for, with a little bit more to prove, a little bit more of a chip on their shoulder after the season that the Cowboys have had and the way people have talked about them. And really what we want to see from McCarthy is just a little bit of consistency with, like, executing kind of the base core concepts of the offense, which they didn't really want to do a lot of earlier in the year. And they've now, they've made a whole big deal out of it last week. They've simplified things for him. They've kind of taken some of the mechanic focus away and said, hey, dude, just go play. And it worked out a lot better. So we want to see, was that a fluke or was that really a change they needed to make? And we wish they made it earlier, but hey, now things are going to be much better from here on out.

[Marcus Moser]

And for the Cowboys perspective, it's, you know, they need to win the final four games to even have a chance of making the playoffs. And you see this Vikings team on the schedule and it's. You would just assume, oh, you know, it's an automatic win. I think they're five and a half point favorites over on FanDuel right now. But we know it doesn't really work that way in the NFL. And I, I hate to be like this guy, but it doesn't really work that way for the Cowboys either. Like, people love getting up to play the Cowboys. And on top of that, Luke, it's. It's a Sunday Night Football game, and if you're Justin Jefferson and you think you're the best receiver in the world, you want to have a big game on Sunday Night Football to remind everybody, hey, I'm still awesome, despite our quarterback play being less than stellar. So I, I would expect Minnesota have to have a lot of energy and excitement for a team that's having a down season.

[Luke Braun]

Yeah, we'll see. Because that they've had a lot of primetime games this year and that has maybe been more of a harm than a help where they, they'll get a little like, especially because he gets too amped and now he's going to start firing things over people's heads and stuff. So hopefully we can see a little bit more calm. Hey, you know, you just got a win, first home win of your career. You put together, you know, the first really unambiguously positive game of your career. The next one should be approached exactly the same. They should all be the same to you. Be even keel, be. Don't, don't let the moment kind of seep into the way that you play. But I wonder how like that emotional aspect of it plays in for the Cowboys. The Vikings don't have a lot to play for. They see the standings, they know what is going on here. They are playing for pride. Some of them are playing for their own contracts or, or for, you know, guys in contracts years, just trying to put out a good resume for free agency or whatever. Like the Vikings know what it is.

[Marcus Moser]

By the way, there's guys with the Cowboys that are doing the same thing even though they are in contention. That's not a new thing for just Minnesota. You.

[Luke Braun]

Yeah, but with, with Philly on a three game losing streak and the Cowboys figuring it out a little bit, getting hot. They beat the Chiefs on Thanksgiving and all that.

Is this starting to feel like, like is everybody kind of rubbing their hands together in Dallas and going, oh, maybe we have this or are they just kind of saying, look, one step at a time, let's go win the game in front of us both.

[Marcus Moser]

And I think part of the reason is they've got to win these next four and their schedule's not super easy. They play obviously Minnesota, they play the Chargers and they play the Commanders and the Giants. So it's, it's a manageable schedule. They need a lot to happen. But I think because this literally happened in 2023 where the Cowboys were like four games back at this very moment and Philadelphia just completely fell apart and the Cowboys were able to steal the division, I think Cowboy fans are feeling like, hey, there's a shot that this really happens. Like there's a shot that the Eagles just self combust and we are hosting a home playoff game. But you're Right. It's one game at a time and I, I want to go back to this prime time part of it because the Cowboys have had a lot of prime time games. Just the nature of being the Dallas Cowboys. Right. But one thing that we see from time to time in Landon McCool, my coast, we, we joke about it a little bit is you get sweaty Deck in some of these.

He'S so amped up, like he's got a full sweat on before the game starts, and they tend to start out really slow. So is that.

[Luke Braun]

Yeah, I remember that last time the Vikings played the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football 2019.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah. Sweaty Dak happens every once in a while and I think you saw a little bit that Detroit. Is that. What, is that what is happening right now, you think with JG McCarthy in this Minnesota team?

[Luke Braun]

I think it's. There's more than that to it. I, I think that the way that they tried to coach him up, they really tried to optimize everything and I think they ended up overcoaching him. So he, he did show up to, I mean, noon games like that, just amped as hell and he was firing everything way too high. Mechanics were all messed up. He was missing. He was rushing through his reads or he was turning things like it was. It's been a disaster. The Vikings are a car crash this year.

But they're more talented than that, than, than the way that they've played. But they just, they haven't been able to put it all together. They haven't been able to make mistakes. The Flores defense isn't. Isn't what it really was supposed to be. So I can ask you about that.

[Marcus Moser]

Really quickly because I think.

[Luke Braun]

Yeah, sure.

[Marcus Moser]

Landon and I were talking about this on our squad show this week where, I mean, this is an aggressive defense that's going to blitz, and it seems like they're getting a little bit healthier on that side of the ball. But how come it hasn't had the same teeth that we're used to seeing?

[Luke Braun]

It's turnovers. The answer to that is turnovers. Everything else has really been the same. It's. They've been getting pressure at a really high clip. They've been blitzing less ish than they did in the first couple of years, but still blitzing a lot.

You know, they've been able to. They've been really up and down in the run game, but really it's that they have not had turnover. The most frustrating thing about this defense, which is wild for me to say, they're coming off a shutout, and they're actually really hot right now. They played phenomenally against Seattle, and it was just way overshadowed by the fact that Max Brosmar couldn't score. And then they shut out Washington. So this unit is white hot. Don't get it twisted. But when it comes to tackling, they love to tackle high and go for the ball, and they just haven't forced any fumbles that way since, like week three. They force like one fumble that way, one peanut punch from behind in Detroit. That. And that's like it. So that has led to really good run production against the Vikings. Plus, every once in a while, you'll get a game where the D tackles just can't hold up and, you know, they'll just kind of get blown out. And.

The. The even with everybody fitting everything up properly, it's just. They just get a lot of space. So you can just kind of line up, run duo, push for four yards and just do that over and over. And, and the Vikings have always been a team where, like, if you execute really conservative stuff, 12 times in a row, it's a touchdown. And that's really hard to do. And they kind of know that and they're okay with that. And they're like, you know, if you're going to score on this, this is how you have to do it. But really, it's been that, you know, Harrison Smithinc, the guy he used to be, so if he's going to jump around, it's going to be a lot slower. He's got his first interception of the year against Marcus Mariota.

[Marcus Moser]

Mario, according to Collinsworth.

[Luke Braun]

But yes, go ahead, Marioto, if you're. If you're a real one.

And you know, Isaiah Rogers had his explosion earlier in the year, but like, he and Byron Murphy, they're all playing really conservative. Back it up, you know, completion and then go up and tackle and then go miss the tackle because they're going for the ball. And so that has led to some pretty frustrating moments over the course of the year. But the general result is still very much. You're going to be under pressure, you're going to need your blitz counters. You're going to have to figure out what's going on at the line of scrimmage and guys are going to make plays. And it just feels so hollow when they, you know, hold a team to 19 points because the offense could only score six.

[Marcus Moser]

I'm going to talk about the Cowboys biggest storyline when we get to matchups here in the. In the next segment, but really quickly, is the is the Vikings fan base freaking out the same way the Cowboys fan base is about Naysha and Wright having this awesome season with Chicago?

[Luke Braun]

Because it seems like we get a.

[Marcus Moser]

Question every day about what happened with Naysha and.

[Locked On Podcast Network Announcer]

Right.

[Marcus Moser]

How come they could evaluate it? How come they couldn't get him to play this level?

[Luke Braun]

I think all that energy is going to Sam Darnold.

[Marcus Moser]

We're all distracted things to worry about. That's true.

[Luke Braun]

You got bigger fish to fry, man. No, that, that, I don't know. That kind of thing happens. And to be honest, I I the interceptions for Nayshaan, right, are cool, but he's been on the wrong end of some stuff too. He's having a very like rookie Trevon Diggs season, which I don't know if that's necessarily like, I don't know if you want that as bad as you think you want that.

[Marcus Moser]

No, you don't.

[Luke Braun]

It's.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah, it's very unreliable. But yeah, there you go. I weren't expecting some Naysan Right conversation in this crossover, but that's how we do. All right, let's talk about some of the biggest matchups to watch, including George Pickens against these Vikings cornerbacks. We'll get to that next.

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Welcome back to this crossover edition of the Lock on Cowboys and Lock on Vikings podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. We'd also like to thank you for making Lock on the Number one sports podcast network. You already live your team every day. Now it's time to take it to the next level and go ad free. Join the Everydayer club and get locon Cowboys and Laton Vikings with no interruptions, members only Discord access and so much more. All for just $5 a month or $50 a year. Make sure you check out the link in the show notes to learn more. All right, Luke, let's talk about some matchups in this one. What is one of the matchups that you are really excited to see on Sunday night?

[Luke Braun]

I was actually going to talk about the, the George Pickens thing too. Let's do it.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Luke Braun]

Yeah. The Vikings. So the Vikings have small corners. That's the deal, right? The only corner they had over six foot was Jeff Okuda and I don't think he's gonna play again this year. He's. He had his second concussion. Season's like pretty much over. Like, I don't, I don't really why risk it? Yeah.

And.

I, I go into a lot of matchups saying like, oh, big receiver versus our small corners. And like, I'll point that out. And then it kind of turns out to not really be any different than what they would do any week. But, but I still think that it just, it bears mentioning with, with, with Lamb and with Pickens and this big dynamic duo on the outside. The last team I would say the Vikings played that had something like that. You know, there's a lot of interesting receiver cores out there, like what Green Bay is doing. But the rest, like a number one and a number two that really could be number ones anywhere would be like the Bengals. And we didn't get a great look in that game because Jake Browning dissolved and it was a bunch of, you know, terrible interceptions and fumble problems and stuff. So I think that's a good sort of barrier for like just how much can this blitzing what the Vikings do up front, paper over a secondary that Quasi Delphamets are really moneyballed and has gotten away with by and large, except for some problems in the safety room. They benched a guy, they're starting another guy right now that Harrison Smith is getting old, all that stuff. But it, it's been.

Definitely touch and go with that. But I, I would say the Vikings probably aren't going to man up a lot. So I don't think the answer to George Pickens is going to be, well, let's see if Byron Murphy can play bigger than he is. But no, it's going to be a guy up over the top of him. It's going to be a bracket. It's going to be, you know, let's blitz and let's say you can't get the. He'll be as open as you want. Can't get the ball out. But the question for me is, what did the Cowboys do to attack the middle of the field? Because that's where the Vikings have had holes all year long. That is where their weakness has been all year long. They've done a better job recently of sort of shoring that up. But I still think that if you're Dallas, that's the game plan you walk in with is we are going to throw over the middle. So is that those guys or does this become like a Jake Ferguson game?

[Marcus Moser]

Well, what's funny is they've got these receivers and none of them are huge. I mean Pickens is 6, 3, maybe.

[Luke Braun]

100 and we got like 5, 11, like. Right, right.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, and this was, honestly, this was the same thing that happened to Dallas last week against Detroit. Detroit's got a bunch of small corners and you would think the Cowboys size would win out, but they're not really like, they're different than like T. Higgins and Jamar Chase, but those guys can just like out physical. You. I think Pickens in CD are very much like, hey, these are guys that are just super freak athletes that can make plays after the catch. They liked having the ball on the run and that's why you see a lot of slants. Like you see this offense throw a bunch of slant routes and we've seen Minnesota get exposed in some, you know, some of that before. I remember the game. Yeah, I was gonna say the Steeler game.

[Luke Braun]

That play, Marcus, that play got two different people benched.

[Marcus Moser]

Exactly.

[Luke Braun]

Yeah. So I wouldn't be surprised easy how much they reacted to that slant touchdown. That thing broke the Vikings like psyche.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah, it's. It's one play. It shouldn't have happened. But I will be interested to see what the Cowboys do there. But honestly, the biggest storyline and matchup for me is just George Pickens versus George Pickens because that Thursday game, the effort was at an all time low and there's some reasons for that. I think Detroit had a really good game plan. Richard Sherman called out George Pickens and it's turned into this big thing where Brian Schottenheimer has had to have a sit down with him and talk to him about how he needs to handle business, you know, on the field and off the field.

I'M curious to see what happens on Sunday. Like do we get the all time like George Pickens going 110, you know percent trying to show everybody that last week was a one off or is it more of the same and do we see Minnesota bracket him and try to frustrate him and you know, I don't know. I, that's why I'm so fascinated to see what happens with Pickett offense.

[Luke Braun]

I, I'm thinking about something similar on the other side. Right. Justin Jefferson's having a pretty down year. He has not played his best, but most of it has not been his fault. Obviously there's machinations going on above him that are ruining the Vikings offense. And last week, even with the offense playing a little better, he gets two catches for 11 yards and, and he's had strung together a number of these kind of total no show games. That's not crazy for Justin Jefferson. When you see a defense that comes in and just like super overly commits to him and then somebody else goes off. That happens with the Vikings a lot and it's not a concern about Jefferson at all. In fact, if you're the Vikings, you're like all right, yeah, do that and go ahead. And then we got like three other guys that got 100 yards, which has happened. So my question would become with the Cowboys defense, and I know the Cowboys defense has struggled a lot this year, maybe less so recently. What is the plan for attacking the Vikings? Obviously there's going to be a lot of. Let's try to confuse the young quarterback who's struggling, but there's still speedster Jordan Addison's, there's still Justin Jefferson, there's still Jalen Naylor who's got speed in his own right, TJ Hawkinson who's been really clutch at times.

How do the Cowboys usually want to attack this? Especially with the way that that line has kind of reformulated itself over the course of the season after the Parsons trade.

[Ad Narrator]

I, I don't know.

[Marcus Moser]

Honestly, I, I've been so confused and frustrated by Matty Berfluse this year where you have some games where the, the secondary is playing with really good leverage and they're aggressive and they're in the right spots. Then you have games like against Detroit where I mean the field could have been 500 yards long and they weren't going to stop them. Right. So I, I would like to think, you know, during these, during the last 10 days that they've come up with a plan to try to slow down these receivers. But for the most Part it's just been we're going to play a bunch of zone. We hope the guys are in the right spots and we hope the pass rush gets there and if it doesn't, oh well, we'll live the fight. Another shootout.

[Luke Braun]

Shootout. Shootout.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah, that I honestly I think that's the way this game is trending and that's how a lot of these cowboy games have trended where It's Russell Wilson versus Dak Prescott a game the first to 40 wins. I kind of think that's how this.

[Luke Braun]

One'S gonna go and I don't trust the Vikings at all in that kind of game.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, you haven't played Matthew flu in a minute so you'll be all right. Don't worry about it.

[Luke Braun]

But here's the thing. Like they can't go through a drive without some kind of terrible self inflicted wound that puts them behind the chains that ruin it. Jones drive right. Like they had a game with eight false starts this year. They will take a bad sack or something. That, that is totally just the offense screws up, they miscommunicate and somebody gets in for free and makes the play of their career.

[Marcus Moser]

But Matt Eberflu's coaches on defense it's like we'll give you 78 yard gains over and over because eventually you're going to mess up. The problem is is that even when they've gotten into the some of these like 3rd and 22s, they're still giving up the big place where it's. That's why this game I, I both sides I expect to be able to with the Bears.

[Luke Braun]

Yeah. Last year the Bears in both the Vikings Bears games the Vikings converted, converted a third and 17 on them and it was the same play call both times. It was like a catch and run underneath. But I'll give you one thing so I this is from last year when Iberfuse was with the Bears and how they attacked the Vikings I thought was really interesting. They took a, they played cover three a lot which is what they wanted to be doing. But they locked off Jalen Johnson and Justin Jefferson and it actually took Justin Jefferson out of the game pretty well. Jalen Johnson had a fantastic game. The problem was they didn't do a good enough job replacing Jalen Johnson's zones when Jefferson would like go across the field. Because you have to adjust if you're going to take cover three and you're going to lock off one of those players in demand coverage. Well, you have to adjust the spacing. If that player goes somewhere that wasn't the initial zone and they didn't do a good enough job of that. And it led up with it let up some of the, like key plays of that game. It was a game in Soldier Field, but it did take Justin Jefferson out. So if the Cowboys want to do that and say, hey, we're going to take Justin Jefferson away from J.J. mcCarthy and make him beat us elsewise, and it's not going to be, you know, he's not Sam Darnold and he can't do what what they did to Eber Flutes last time, I that's a reasonable game plan.

[Drew Ski]

I would agree.

[Marcus Moser]

We'll see. I mean, the Cowboys play a ton of COVID three. I would expect that to be the case here in week 15. Let's talk about some keys to victory, what the Vikings and the Cowboys need to do to get that W on Sunday night. We'll get to that next.

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Welcome back to this crossover edition of the Lockdown Cowboys and Lockdown Vikings podcast. Look, let's talk about what these teams need to do to get a win. Give us some keys to victory here on Sunday night.

[Luke Braun]

For the Vikings, it's been kind of the same thing and they have not accomplished this a lot, which is, you know, that'll make you five and eight and it's, it's turnovers. They have to win the turnover battle, take care of the ball, be aggressive on defense, make turnovers happen, make guys make mistakes.

I would love to see like an overly amped up Dak Prescott throw stupid interceptions. We've seen that kind of thing go down before. It's got to be something like that because I don't think that if this turns into that shootout kind of game. I don't think the Vikings can put up 40 on air. I don't think they can put up 40 against anybody in this league. They just don't have the consistency in them. So I think there has to be either the defense needs to step up, get a bunch of stops, you know, put a lid on this absolutely dynamic Cowboys offense, or get a couple of turnovers and make it the kind of game where, you know, everybody's scoring back and forth and if you get one short field suddenly, you know, you get the lead and then you can play with it. That has to be it. But to be honest, I kind of think. What'd you say? Fanduel Five and a half right now. I kind of think That's a crazy underestimation. The Vikings are coming off of like this cathartic win. I can feel the letdown in my bones.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, this is, this is a speedy Cowboy and Viking fan. Like, we're just used to like being let down when we get a little, a little bit too big for our britches. Right. Like it's just in our nature.

[Luke Braun]

It's just the way that this team is built has not ever proven consistency. And, and they've like, every time they find one good thing, they take one step forward. The next time they like either, oh, you know, lean into it way too much or, you know, get too excited about it and then it doesn't sustain and then they take three steps back. That's just the way that this team has been. I would love to see them prove me wrong, win that turnover battle, keep the flags off the field, just play clean ball and see what happens.

[Marcus Moser]

So under previous iterations of this Cowboys team, they, they've been front runners, right? They jump out early leads and then they, they just blow teams out. But they get, when they got behind, they really struggled to make comebacks. Right. Unfortunately, it's been a little bit flipped this year where the Cowboys got behind 210 against Philadelphia and then they turned things on. They got behind early against Kansas City, turned things on and won that game. And they almost did it against Detroit. And I'm wondering if they just. It takes them about a quarter or so to get into the game, Luke, before they really get going. And that's why they're averaging. I think it's like 3.6 points per game per first quarter, which is like one of the worst in the league. Despite this being arguably the NFL's best offense. You can't let Minnesota hang around in this game. Like you don't want this to be a 20 to 17 game going into the fourth quarter. And that's where, why I'd love to see Brian Schottenheimer and Dak Prescott be super aggressive early in this game to try to build a lead and then play with their positive game script.

[Luke Braun]

I have a guessing game for you. Okay, so the Vikings have very often this year gone with single digit points in the first half and very often without a touchdown in the first half. They've played 13 games. Can you guess how many times they have scored single digit points in the first half? 8. And it's 7 or fewer is as singled it. And I'm not talking about like nine point halves. It would be nine. You've underestimated this nine out of 13 games they have not scored at all. And I think only one of them had any touchdowns. The rest of them was 036. It's been, they have gone gotten to disgustingly slow starts all season long.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, Luke, the Cowboys haven't scored twice in the first quarter. More than once this year. I was against Washington. Surprise, surprise. That's the only time they've scored twice in the first quarter. Like they are such slow starters. I would. That's why we're talking about this game being a really high scoring game. It wouldn't shock any of us if it's like, hey, welcome back. It's six to three going into the.

[Luke Braun]

Going into that for sure it could be.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah.

[Luke Braun]

And, and you know what? The, the thing about all those six point halves that the Vikings have had is that the defense has kept them in it. So they've gone into halftime 10 down, 10 to 6, and it's still kind of a ball game. And we'll see what happens in the second half. If it's that kind of game, then maybe there's a chance for something fluky to happen. But I think they have to find something. I do want to follow up on one question before we go here with the kind of the game plan that I suggested about COVID 3. But Lock A guy off and let's see if Eberfluis decides he wants to do that again. Who would be the corner that does that? Because the secondary is fascinating to me personally. I talked a lot about Savon Rebel in the draft. I loved him. We have Ready Stewart, who the Vikings cut this year. Daron Bland is a fascinating player. So who would be the guy that they would trust the most in man coverage against a Justin Jefferson?

[Marcus Moser]

It's probably going to be the Ron Bland and that presents its own challenges because if it's the Ron Bland with some safety help, that means you are leaving ready. Stewart and Savon Ravel one on one against like I love Jordan Addison because I think he can win one on one against just about everybody.

[Luke Braun]

Well, and they would be in cover three, so they wouldn't be in like true men, you know, they would have an inside help or over the top or whatever.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, you would think so, but Kenneth Murray is our linebacker, so not okay. Well.

In theory, yes, you would have help, but that's, I, I wish in theory was one of their linebackers right now. Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's gonna be a mess. It's a beautiful mess.

[Luke Braun]

Well then maybe my plan is not as good of a plan with that. I think they had a Jalen Johnson in Chicago, right? Like that's, that's this guy doesn't exist in Dallas.

[Marcus Moser]

The Cowboys are gonna try playing a bunch of COVID three. We'll see how it works. Unfortunately, you've seen the results this year, but Dallas defense, nothing really works unless they're getting pressure with their front three. You're going to see a lot of three defensive tackle looks with Kenny Clark, osa, Digi Zooa and of course Quinn Williams. If those guys can win up front, I think the Cowboys will have a pretty good chance. That is it for today's show. We want to thank you for making this crossover edition of the Latin Cowboys and Latin Vikings Podcast your first listen of the day. Make sure you subscribe and follow our podcast so you get all of the latest episodes and did lots on Cowboys or Lathon Vikings. Make your Spotify wrapped Prove it to us on social media to secure a three month of our brand new Everyday or club. Just tag our national lot on Podcast network account on any social platform and we'll drop you a code. Be one of the first to join the Everyday club to get free or your favorite shows Ad free and exclusive access to the members only Discord channel and make sure you check out the Locked on NFL Podcast two shows every single day. Luke Enjoy the game and I can't wait to talk soon.

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