MINNEAPOLIS -- The Vikings began their Halloween night home game with the Cowboys full of optimism, as Dak Prescott's calf injury kept the quarterback from directing the league's top-ranked offense. But even with Cooper Rush making his first NFL start in a hostile environment, the Vikings remained unable to make things easy.
After claiming a 16-13 lead with 2:51 left, the Vikings allowed Rush to drive down the field for the winning touchdown to claim a 20-16 victory.
Rush hit Amari Cooper for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds remaining and Kirk Cousins and the Vikings could not pull out another last-minute save, dropping to 3-4.
The Vikings began the game willing to test the Cowboys' defense downfield, but drifted into a conservative offensive approach throughout the night. They lost Danielle Hunter to a shoulder injury just before halftime, and their sack leader watched the second half in street clothes, as Rush got more comfortable testing the Vikings' secondary.
After Prescott's lengthy pregame workout ended with a meeting between Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, owner Jerry Jones and chief operating officer Stephen Jones in U.S. Bank Stadium's west end zone, the Cowboys made the decision to sit Prescott and give Rush his first start.
The Vikings started the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 20-yard scoring pass from Kirk Cousins to Adam Thielen, who faked as though he was blocking for a screen, shed Trevon Diggs and found a hole in the Cowboys' zone.
Down 7-0, the Cowboys began the game intent on helping Rush as much as possible with their run game, running on four of their first six plays to move into Vikings territory. But a false start penalty took Dallas out of its offensive flow, and Eric Kendricks beat Ezekiel Elliott in pass protection for a third-down sack to force a field goal, which Greg Zuerlein missed wide left.
The quarterback forced a pass for Dalton Schultz into coverage on the Cowboys' second drive, and Harrison Smith tipped it before Xavier Woods picked it off in Vikings territory. But the Vikings did not score on the ensuing drive.
Rush hit Cooper for 29 yards on a Cowboys field goal drive next, and Dallas had a chance to get the ball back with a chance to take the lead with just under five minutes left in the first half.
But as the Cowboys bluffed like they were trying to block Jordan Berry's punt, trying to jump the snap count before Bradley Anae jumped offside. The penalty gave the Vikings a fresh set of downs; they turned it into a field goal after a 32-yard completion from Cousins to Thielen (and a pair of conservative pass attempts deep in Cowboys territory).
Noah Brown couldn't outrun Bashaud Breeland and catch up to Rush's go ball before halftime, giving the Vikings one more chance to add points late in the second quarter. But the Vikings couldn't get lined up quickly enough following a 13-yard Cousins scramble, and let the clock run down instead of calling their final timeout. They took a knee to end the first half with a 10-3 lead.
On the first drive of the second half, Rush made his biggest throw of the night.
He fired a post route to Cedrick Wilson, who beat Mackensie Alexander and split the Vikings' safeties, turning Smith around as the veteran gave chase. The 73-yard touchdown tied the game 10-10, as a sizable contingent of Cowboys fans roared while Vikings fans reacted in stunned silence.
