It is Day 78 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
At Day 78 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff we look back at one of the most dominant road wins in Cowboys history. Dallas entered Week 11 at 6-3, still stinging from an overtime collapse against Green Bay, while Minnesota came in at 8-1 after a dramatic win over Buffalo. The Vikings were one of the NFC’s top stories, riding a seven-game winning streak and looking like a legitimate contender. Then the Cowboys walked into U.S. Bank Stadium and turned the entire afternoon into a national statement.
Sunday, November 20, 2022 — 4:25 p.m. ET
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 40, Minnesota Vikings 3
The pace of the game was set immediately by the Cowboys defense. On Minnesota’s opening drive, Micah Parsons sacked Kirk Cousins and forced a fumble, giving Dallas a short field. The Cowboys cashed that in with a Brett Maher field goal, and after the Vikings tied it 3-3, Dallas took control for good. Ezekiel Elliott scored from one yard out late in the first quarter, and the Cowboys never looked back.
The second quarter was when the game started to feel like a mismatch. Maher hit from 53 yards, Dak Prescott found Tony Pollard for a 30-yard touchdown, and Maher drilled a 60-yard field goal as time expired in the half. Dallas led 23-3 at halftime, but the score almost undersold how complete the performance already was. The Cowboys were winning up front, finishing drives, and making Minnesota’s high-powered offense look completely uncomfortable.
The knockout came right after halftime. On third-and-14, Prescott hit Pollard in stride, and Pollard turned it into a 68-yard touchdown. A few minutes later, Elliott scored again from one yard out to make it 37-3. The Cowboys added one more Maher field goal in the fourth quarter, and Dallas left Minneapolis with a 40-3 win that felt even more emphatic than the final score.
Prescott was truly outstanding, completing 22 of 25 passes for 276 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, no sacks, and a 139.3 passer rating. Pollard was the offensive star, producing a career-high 189 yards from scrimmage with two receiving touchdowns, while Elliott added two rushing scores. Dallas finished with 458 total yards and scored on each of its first seven possessions.
The defense was even more ruthless. Dallas sacked Cousins seven times, held the Vikings to 183 total yards, and ended Cousins’ streak of 39 straight games with a touchdown pass. Parsons and Dorance Armstrong each had two sacks, and the Cowboys made Justin Jefferson a non-factor after his unforgettable performance the week before against Buffalo.
This game belongs on the countdown because it was not just a blowout, it was a road annihilation of an 8-1 team, in a hostile dome, one week after Dallas had been heavily criticized for letting a game get away. For one afternoon, the Cowboys looked like the most complete team in football with an explosive offense, relentless pass rush, elite special teams, and total control from start to finish.
Interesting Facts About the Game
This was the largest road win in Cowboys franchise history at the time, with Dallas winning by 37 points. It was also Minnesota’s second-largest home loss in franchise history.
Countdown To Kickoff by day:
100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79
