Sadly, Vikings Will Get Little Credit with a Win over Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 28-24. Nfl Dallas Cowboys Minnesota Vikings

As the clock officially hits the start of the weekend, Dallas Cowboys quarterback is definitely questionable for his team’s bout with the Minnesota Vikings on Halloween night.

Prescott injured his calf late in a win over the New England Patriots in Week 6. Few feared the ailment would cause Prescott to miss the matchup with the Vikings, but his prognosis changed late this week. Suddenly, the status of his availability for Week 8 became suspect. Prescott told reporters the decision to play is up to the team, not his own will. And that thickened the plot.

Ergo, what was theorized as a Vikings game against a formidable 5-1 opponent, has morphed into a possible showdown with an undermanned squad.

And guess what that means? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t on the Vikings prospect of winning.

For reasonable pundits and fans, a win is a win, and that’s all that matters. But for those in the business of incessant whataboutism — they’re out there — a Vikings win will be met with two types of “yeah buts.”

First, the obvious scenario: If the Vikings topple the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys, a Minnesota victory will be tarnished. It will be the game the Vikings beat a Cowboys team without its best player — yadda, yadda, yadda. Never mind the notion Minnesota lost to Andy Dalton and the Cowboys last year. Rush doesn’t have a resume comparable to Dalton, and the 2021 Vikings are better than the 2020 Vikings. Nonetheless, a Vikings win over the Prescott-less Cowboys will instantly be framed as “the Vikings beat a team that most teams would beat.”

So, be prepared for that narrative.

The other possibility for a Vikings win is beating a hobbled Prescott’s Cowboys. If Dallas’ signal-caller looks limited because of the calf injury, you better believe some individuals will call the Vikings win cheap as a result of “limited Dak.” This is just the way the hype machine goes.

What’s more, the margin of victory wouldn’t matter either. If the Vikings crush the Rush Cowboys, the spin will go something like, “The Vikings beat a team with a terrible quarterback — of course the score was lopsided.” Or, should Minnesota squeak by — a lot of that has transpired in 2021 — back to the drawing board we go with, “Minnesota barely beat a team with an unproven quarterback.”

Those are the if-they-win scenarios. Indeed, if the Vikings lose to a Prescott-less Cowboys or an injured rendition of the man, then the sky will fall. And those criticisms will be warranted.

The Vikings host a talented team in their building this weekend. On paper, Mike Zimmer’s team is good enough to win. It should not matter how they do it or who’s throwing the ball for the team with starred helmets.

Minnesota is favored by three points, a point spread that swung wildly in recent days.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

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