It's fitting that in late October, the Cowboys find themselves haunted by yet another inexplicable loss. After giving away a game to the Detroit Lions that a team should statistically win 99 percent of the time, the Dallas defense has to be suffering from a lack of confidence.
In fact, the Cowboys pass defense has a $50 million defensive back in Brandon Carr and a top 10 draft pick (Morris Claiborne) in the secondary, yet it is still on pace for a historically bad season. A talented opposing quarterback is a frightening sight for Cowboys fans.
Despite loads of talent, the Cowboys pass defense is on track for a historically bad season.
That's why the Minnesota Vikings are the perfect opponent to allow Dallas to exorcize the ghosts of football past. Although any competent quarterback has had his way with the Dallas defense, the Vikings mercifully appear to be devoid of any qualified candidate.
Christian Ponder, Josh Freeman and Matt Cassel have served as a three-headed monster of futility for Minnesota. The team's quarterback struggles have been largely responsible for the Vikings 1-6 record so far.
Minnesota coaches are desperately looking for someone to take over the leadership role for the team, but following another blowout loss, the search continues.
That's not to insinuate that the Vikings will be pushovers. They still have Adrian Peterson, one of the premier running backs in the league. The native Texan is poised to eventually topple Emmitt Smith's rushing record. Running the ball, however, takes time, and chances are that if Minnesota falls behind, Peterson will have a limited effect on the game.
Dallas needs to win this game badly. After getting rocked in Detroit city, the Cowboys find themselves back in a dog fight for the NFC East division. With Drew Brees and the Saints on the horizon (see the paragraph above about capable quarterbacks), Dallas knows there is little room for error.
Happily, there's nothing scary about the Vikings' offense, and that should end up being a treat for Dallas on Sunday.
Dallas has plenty of talent on the roster but precious few wins.
