2021 NFL Week 8: Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings

For the first time in this 2021 season, fans of the Minnesota Vikings will have to wait all day for Sunday night, as they’re coming off of their bye week to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

The Cowboys are coming off of their bye week as well, and have a bit of drama this week surrounding the status of star quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott suffered a calf strain in the Cowboy’s Week 6 victory over the New England Patriots, and though it sounds as though he’s trending in the right direction, we won’t be 100% sure until closer to kickoff.

The Vikings have some injury issues of their own, with top cornerback Patrick Peterson being placed on IR after suffering a hamstring injury in the Vikings’ 34-28 overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 6. Peterson will have to sit out for the next three games, starting with this Sunday night matchup. Nose tackle Michael Pierce is also still battling elbow and shoulder injuries and could be a game-time decision for this one.

This is the third consecutive season that these teams have met, with each team having won in the other team’s building over the past couple of seasons. Last year, the Cowboys came in without Prescott, but it didn’t matter as Andy Dalton led Dallas to a 31-28 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium. In 2019, these two teams met on a Sunday night, and the Vikings held on for a 28-24 victory at AT&T Stadium when Prescott’s last-second Hail Mary attempt was intercepted.

According to our friends at DraftKings, the line for this one has not shifted despite all the drama, as the Cowboys are still listed as a 2.5-point favorite as of Wednesday afternoon.

With this game being on NBC, kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 PM Central time, so you should still have plenty of time to take the kids trick-or-treating before settling in for this one.