DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys will be hoping for treats not tricks on Halloween night in Minnesota as they take on the Vikings in the league’s marquee primetime Week 8 matchup. The terror could come from the fact that the availability of MVP candidate quarterback Dak Prescott is still up in the air.
The Cowboys are coming off their bye week with a record of 5-1 which has them sat atop the NFC East. Meanwhile, the Vikings are 3-3 and behind only the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. Minnesota also had a week to rest up for this game with their most recent contest being a 34-28 OT victory over the Carolina Panthers.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys get set to for some chills and thrills in the Midwest:
SERIES FACTS (10)
-The Cowboys are 5-1 for the 15th time in franchise history. All 14 of those previous teams made the playoffs with 10 of those 14 having won the division.
-Since 1990, when playoff formats were last formatted, teams that started 6-1 made the playoffs 60 of 69 times with 50 of those 60 teams having won the division.
-144 of 190 (75.8%) teams that started 5-2 made the playoffs with 83 having won the division.
-Since 1970, when the NFC East was formed, only 7 of 20 teams that started 6-1 failed to win the division.
-This is the 13th time in franchise history that the Vikings are 3-3. 6 of 12 of those previous teams made the playoffs with four of those teams having won the division.
-Since 1990, 95 of 216 (43.98%) teams that started 4-3 made the postseason with 43 teams having won the division.
-Since 1990, 36 of 191 (18.8%) teams that started 3-4 made the playoffs with 17 having won the division.
-The Cowboys are 17-15 against the Vikings all-time with an 11-7 record on the road.
-The Cowboys have won 11 times against the Vikings in Minnesota. Here is the breakdown by venue:
Metropolitan Stadium: 6-1
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome: 3-6
U.S. Bank Stadium: 2-0
-The Vikings are 1 of 3 teams that the Cowboys have faced in every round of the playoffs. The other two teams are the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (7)
Prescott is tied with Josh Allen for the third-highest yards per pass attempt on first down at 8.9.
-Prescott’s 31 first downs by pass on first down are tied with Carson Wentz for the eighth-most in the NFL.
-Six of Prescott’s 16 touchdowns have come on first down.
-Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Prescott’s 9.5 yards per attempt is the fourth-highest on third down.
-Prescott’s 477 passing yards on third down are the 10th-most in the league.
-Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Prescott’s 70.0 completion percentage on third down is the third-highest in the NFL.
-Prescott’s 26 third down conversions through the air are tied with Mac Jones for the 10th-most in the NFL.
KIRK COUSINS FACTS (5)
-Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Cousins’ 105.2 passer rating is the eighth-highest in the NFL.
-Cousins is tied for the sixth-most red zone touchdown passes with 10.
-Cousins is 1 of 11 quarterbacks with at least 20 red zone passes without an interception this season.
-Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Cousins’ 70.1 completion percentage is the second-highest in the NFL.
-Cousins’ 30 third down conversions through the air are tied with Patrick Mahomes for fourth-most in the NFL.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (11)
-Ezekiel Elliott’s 521 rushing yards are the fifth-most in the league.
-Elliott is tied for the third-most rushing touchdowns with five.
-Among running backs, Elliott’s 29 first downs are the third-most in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 5.1 yards per carry is the 10th-highest in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 298 yards before contact are the third-highest in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 223 yards after contact are the fifth-highest in the league.
-Among running backs with at least 75 carries, Elliott is tied with D’Andre Swift for the fewest broken tackles with two.
-Elliott is tied for the third-most red zone rushing touchdowns with five.
-Elliott is tied for the seventh-highest third down conversions on the ground with six.
-Elliott is tied for the most touchdowns on third down with two.
-Among running backs with at least 10 such carries, Elliott’s 4.25 yards per carry on third down is the second-lowest.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (8)
-This is the 63rd week that McCarthy has had his team with an undisputed lead in the division and his seventh with the Cowboys.
-McCarthy is 35-18 in October with a 15-9 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 10-4 coming off a bye with a 6-3 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 54-23-2 against the NFC North with a 26-14 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 17-9-2 against the Vikings with an 8-6 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 69-54-1 against playoff-winning coaches with a 27-39 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 48 for 98 on challenges for his career with an 0 for 3 rate in 2021.
-McCarthy has extended a winning streak 57 of 85 times.
MIKE ZIMMER FACTS (7)
-In what should have been Zimmer’s first game against the Cowboys on Dec. 1, 2016, Zimmer missed the game due to emergency eye surgery the day before. Dallas won 17-15.
-Zimmer is the ninth former Cowboys coordinator to face Dallas. Ex-Cowboys coordinators are 17-31-1 against their former team. Here is the list:
Sean Payton: 5-3
Dan Reeves: 5-8
Norv Turner: 4-9
Dave Wannstedt: 1-2
Dick Nolan: 1-5-1
Butch Davis: 0-1
Dave Shula: 0-1
Tony Sparano: 0-1
Mike Zimmer: 1-1
-Zimmer is 8-4 against the NFC East with a 5-1 record at home.
-Zimmer is 5-5-1 against Mike McCarthy with a 3-3 record at home.
-Last year, the Vikings were 5-7 indoors, home and away. This year, the Vikings are 2-2 indoors, home and away.
-Zimmer is 6-3 on NBC Sunday Night Football with a 4-1 record at home.
-Zimmer is 24 for 47 on challenges for his career with an 0 for 1 record in 2021.
BROADCAST FACTS (9)
-The Cowboys have played the Vikings previously on all three incarnations of Sunday Night Football:
1988 (ESPN)
1995 (TNT)
2019 (NBC)
-The Cowboys have faced off against the Vikings on every available TV network at some point. Here is the Cowboys’ record by network:
CBS: 11-4
FOX: 3-6
ABC: 1-4
ESPN: 0-1
NBC: 1-1
NFL Network: 1-0*
*simulcast of an NBC game on Dec. 1, 2016.
-Dallas is 27-25 on NBC Sunday Night Football, including playoff games and NFL Specials.
-Minnesota is 8-13 on NBC Sunday Night Football, including playoff games and NFL Specials.
-The Cowboys are 54-41 when Al Michaels calls their games, including the postseason.
-The Vikings are 21-27 when Michaels calls their games, including the postseason.
-The Cowboys are 28-26 when Collinsworth does color commentary for their games.
-The Vikings are 10-21 when Collinsworth does color commentary for their games.
-On KXAS, the NBC affiliate for Dallas-Fort Worth, the Cowboys are an all-time 53-40, including simulcast cable games from 1987-90.
SCOTT NOVAK FACTS (11)
-The Cowboys have had Novak as the referee for a game just once. On Nov. 24, 2019, under Novak’s watchful eye, Dallas lost 13-9 to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Cowboys had more penalties than New England: 7/50 to 6/56.
-Novak is tied for the third-lowest (.333) home team winning percentage.
-Novak is tied for the fourth-highest (.500) percentage of home teams having fewer penalties.
-The Vikings are 2-0 with Novak. Here are the results:
2019 – PHI, 38-20 – W
2020 – @CHI, 19-13 – W
-The Vikings have had fewer penalties 1 of the 2 times with Novak:
2019 – PHI: 7/49; MIN: 4/30
2020 – CHI: 1/5; MIN: 4/35
-Novak’s games are tied for the sixth-fewest (4.3) sacks per game.
-Novak’s crew calls the sixth-most (2.8) offensive holding calls per game.
-The Cowboys have not challenged Novak nor have their opponents. However, Replay Assistant is 1 for 1 on challenges with Novak.
-The Vikings are 1 for 1 challenging Novak. Opponents have yet to challenge Novak. Replay Assistant is 0 for 1.
-Novak has the seventh-highest (.333, 1 for 3) coaches challenge overturn rate.
-Novak has the sixth-lowest (.400, 2 for 5) booth review overturn rate.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (32)
-Tony Pollard has the second-highest yards per carry in the league among running backs at 6.0.
-Dalvin Cook generates 91.5 rushing yards per game, the third-highest in the league.
-Justin Jefferson is tied with Jakobi Meyers for the 10th-most catches in the league with 51.
-Jefferson’s 542 receiving yards are the ninth-most in the NFL.
-Jefferson is tied for the ninth-most first downs by reception in the league with 26.
-51.5% of the Cowboys’ drives end in scores, the second-highest in the NFL.
-6.9% of the Vikings’ drives end in turnovers, the third-lowest in the league.
-The Vikings have given up just five turnovers, tied with the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders for the second-lowest in the NFL.
-Dallas has given up seven turnovers, tied for the ninth-fewest in the league.
-The Cowboys offense generates 5.1 yards per carry, the third-highest in the NFL.
-Minnesota’s offense produces 4.5 yards per carry, tied for the 10th-highest in the league.
-The Cowboys produce 164.3 rushing yards per game, the second-highest in the NFL.
-The Vikings offense generates 127.8 rushing yards per game, the eighth-highest in the league.
-The Cowboys are tied with the Browns for the eighth-lowest red zone conversion rate at 56.0%.
-Minnesota’s offense has the eighth-highest red zone conversion rate at 66.7%.
-The average starting field position for the Cowboys is their own 30.1-yard line, tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the sixth-highest in the NFL.
-The average starting field position for the Vikings is their own 25.3-yard line, the third-lowest in the league.
-The Cowboys possess the ball for 2:59 on average, tied with the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals for sixth-longest in the league.
-The Vikings possess the ball for 2:41 on average, tied for the eighth-shortest in the league.
-The Cowboys are tied with the Cardinals and Buccaneers for the third-most takeaways in the NFL with 14.
-The Vikings are tied for the 10th-fewest takeaways in the NFL with seven.
-Opponents have compiled an 88.1 passer rating against the Cowboys’ defense, the ninth-lowest in the NFL.
-Opponents have compiled an 87.5 passer rating against the Vikings’ defense, the eighth-lowest in the league.
-Minnesota is tied with the Chicago Bears for the most sacks in the NFL with 21.
-The Cowboys defense is tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for the fourth-fewest sacks with 11.
-Dallas is tied with Miami for the fourth-fewest tackles for loss with 21.
-Minnesota is tied with the Chargers and Buccaneers for the sixth-fewest tackles for loss with 22.
-The Vikings’ defense gives up 4.8 yards per carry, the fourth-most in the NFL.
-The Cowboys give up 86.2 rushing yards per game, the fifth-fewest in the NFL.
-The Cowboys are 3-3 on Oct. 31. Here are the results:
1971 — @CHI, 19-23 — L
1976 — @WAS, 20-7 — W
1993 — @PHI, 23-10 — W
1999 — @CLT, 24-34 — L
2004 — DET, 31-21 — W
2010 — JAX, 17-35 — L
-The Vikings are 3-5 on Oct. 31. Here are the results:
1965 — @CLE, 27-17 — W
1971 — @NYG, 17-10 — W
1976 — @CHI, 13-14 — L
1993 — DET, 27-30 — L
1999 — @DEN, 23-20 — W
2004 — NYG, 13-34 — L
2010 — @NE, 18-28 — L
2016 — @CHI, 10-20 — L
-The Cowboys do not have any birthdays to celebrate on Oct. 31, but one death to remember. Linebacker Jack Patera was a member of the 1960-61 teams and died in 2018. Patera was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, on Aug. 1, 1933 and went to college at Oregon.
Do you think the Cowboys will come away with a Halloween victory over Minnesota for their 18th win in the all-time series? Share your favorite facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.