Vikings' JJ McCarthy tallies 3 touchdowns, buries Cowboys' playoff chances

The Minnesota Vikings whitethorn beryllium eliminated from the playoffs, but the Dallas Cowboys technically weren’t heading into their Sunday nighttime matchup astatine AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys’ chances are present astatine stone bottommost aft falling to the Vikings, 34-26, connected Sunday night.

The Vikings are present 6-8 connected the season, portion the Cowboys fell to 6-7-1. And though they’re not technically eliminated, the Cowboys’ playoff chances are hanging by a thread now.

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Minnesota Vikings backmost J.J. McCarthy (9) celebrates aft a touchdown during the archetypal fractional against the Dallas Cowboys astatine AT&T Stadium connected Dec. 14, 2025.  (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

It was an inauspicious commencement for the Vikings successful this contest, arsenic J.J. McCarthy precise archetypal walk effort was an interception, arsenic it was tipped astatine the enactment by a blitzing Donovan Wilson and Quinnen Williams looked up and hauled it in.

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ discourtesy had tremendous tract presumption for their opening drive, and though it took 11 plays to spell 35 yards, Javonte Williams was capable to nail it into the extremity portion for the 7-0 lead.

It besides wouldn’t person happened without a fake tract goal, arsenic Brandon Aubrey, 1 of the astir trusted legs successful the NFL, ran for a archetypal down connected fourth-and-4 from the Minnesota 29-yard line. However, Aubrey would travel up successful a not truthful bully mode aboriginal successful this game.

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The Vikings were yet capable to get thing going aft the tract was flipped connected their 3rd thrust erstwhile Aaron Jones was pushed retired of bounds connected an 18-yard reception, and the Cowboys were called for a equine collar tackle, tacking connected 15 yards. On the precise adjacent play, McCarthy fired a touchdown walk to Jalen Nailor — his archetypal of 2 scores successful this 1 — to necktie the crippled astatine 7 apiece.

The 2nd 4th brought astir a question of discourtesy connected some sides, arsenic Dallas responded with Malik Davis rushing 1 successful from a gait out, portion McCarthy capped a 75-yard thrust with a perfectly executed fake handoff connected Dallas’ one-yard enactment for a walk-in touchdown.

On the ensuing drive, Aubrey, who again has 1 of the astir reliable legs successful the game, missed conscionable his 3rd tract extremity effort of the year, this 1 from 51 yards out. After Will Reichard nailed one, Aubrey had immoderate redemption earlier halftime, arsenic some teams tallied 17 points.

Dallas Cowboys backmost Dak Prescott (4) looks to propulsion during the archetypal fractional against the Minnesota Vikings astatine AT&T Stadium connected Dec. 14, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

In the 2nd half, the Cowboys ended up with a 23-17 pb acknowledgment to 2 much Aubrey tract goals, but 7 points is what they were hoping for. McCarthy helped marque it hap with a large walk to Nailor to acceptable up the Vikings successful the reddish zone.

After Justin Jefferson, who struggled successful this 1 contempt the targets, not hauling successful a touchdown pass, C.J. Ham buried a one-yard touchdown to marque it 24-23 aft the other point.

Prescott tried to lucifer his second-year counterpart, but the Cowboys stalled connected Minnesota’s 41-yard line. At 59 yards out, it’s good wrong Aubrey’s range, but helium missed yet again. All 4 of his tract extremity misses this play person been from 50 yards and beyond.

Now, with the shot adjacent midfield, the Vikings had a accidental to further their pb and they got conscionable what they needed. On 1st-and-goal from the Dallas four-yard line, McCarthy recovered Nailor again and helium celebrated arsenic the Vikings went up 31-23.

The Cowboys would crook the shot implicit connected downs connected the ensuing drive, and the Vikings saw Aaron Jones prime up aggregate archetypal downs to not lone support the timepiece running, but unit Dallas to usage each their timeouts. 

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In the container score, McCarthy was 15-of-24 for 250 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, arsenic Jordan Addison’s 58-yard drawback was among immoderate of his large throws.

For the Cowboys, Prescott was 23-of-38 for 294 yards, though helium ne'er threw a touchdown pass. CeeDee Lamb led each receivers successful this crippled with 111 yards connected six catches, but George Pickens was kept quiescent for the 2nd consecutive game. He had conscionable 3 catches for 33 yards.

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