Coming in clutch: The Cowboys’ defense had no answer for Vikings’ Adam Thielen... until it absolutely needed - The Dallas Morning News

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There was no stopping No. 19.

The Cowboys tried cornerback Anthony Brown. That thoroughly failed. They tried cornerback Rashard Robinson in the tight red zone. That led to a touchdown. Be it zone or man coverage, the defense found little success Sunday containing Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, particularly to begin the second half.

Several weeks ago, that might’ve been the end of it. No response. No fight. No shot.

Of late, this defense is resilient.

Minnesota scored a touchdown on each of its first three possessions after halftime. On its last legs, Dallas shut down the Vikings on the final two series, both of which featured strong third-down coverage with Thielen the intended receiver. The defense rose up when needed most in a 31-28 win at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Complementary football.

It’s what good teams do.

To call the Cowboys (3-7) a good team would be absurdly premature, this their first win since Oct. 11. At times, Sunday was too sloppy. Mistakes littered the artificial turf. Special teams took a step back from strong recent outings.

But the way the defense supported the offense late lends credence to the notion that, in the NFC East, these Cowboys may be good enough.

“They were huge, huge plays,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “You just look at the way Minnesota came out in the second half to establish those scoring drives and take the lead. Once again, you have to play balanced football to win against an excellent team. We knew we would have to get it done in some form or fashion in all three phases. So, we needed those stops from our defense.”

Out of halftime, Thielen caught all five passes in his direction for 76 yards and two touchdowns during the Vikings’ first three possessions. Brown struggled mightily in attempted coverage all afternoon before exiting with injured ribs. He missed Weeks 2 to 4 with fractures suffered in practice. This was an aggravation, a team spokesperson said.

But Thielen’s final three targets were incomplete.

First, Robinson prevented a completion on an out route near the Cowboys’ sideline. There was some minor contact, and Thielen looked for a flag. None came. Robinson was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, the game providing his first defensive snaps since 2018 when playing for the New York Jets.

That forced a punt.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb returned it 20 yards, giving the Cowboys possession at their own 39-yard line with four minutes remaining. A few plays after a fourth-and-6 conversion, quarterback Andy Dalton found tight end Dalton Schultz on a 2-yard touchdown to give Dallas its 31-28 lead with 1 minute, 43 seconds remaining.

Another stop was needed.

Nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis wowed in delivery.

His press coverage techniques, between the footwork and a punch he delivered to Thielen’s shoulder off the line of scrimmage, were fit for a coach’s clinic tape. He allowed no separation, closing off any chance of Thielen converting an out route.

Lewis balled up his fists in celebration.

On fourth down, Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith hit quarterback Kirk Cousins on a deep throw. The intended receiver? Thielen. Safety Xavier Woods nearly intercepted that errant pass, but the incompletion worked just the same.

The Vikings drove 231 yards on 26 plays in their first three second-half possessions but managed 16 yards on eight plays on their final two.

Door slammed.

“The defense, they got those two big stops when we needed them,” running back Ezekiel Elliott said, “and we turned around and converted them. They were definitely the spark force today.”

Said linebacker Leighton Vander Esch: “We have a few things we’ve got to clean up tonight. But just the whole way we played the game and kept fighting — I think that’s the ultimate thing that we can hang our hat on and that we can gain confidence off of and just keep rolling. We need that.”

Find more Cowboys stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

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