The Minnesota Vikings won what many were calling the desperation bowl, dispensing of the Dallas Cowboys 24-21 in the Minneapolis Metrodome on Sunday. Minnesota (2-3) outlasted Dallas (1-4) in what turned out to be somewhat of a late game shootout, and it seemed for a while, that whoever had the ball last was probably going to win this game. E.J. Henderson ended all hopes of the Cowboys pulling out any last minute heroics against Minnesota, when he picked off a Tony Romo pass to seal the deal for the Vikings. Everyone was well aware of how important this game was, and neither team wanted to walk away from this game being 1-4. 97% of the teams that have started out 1-4 in NFL history have failed to even make the playoffs, but that’s exactly what the Cowboys are currently pondering. I don’t expect the Dallas Cowboys to just throw in the towel on their season, but they have dug their selves a huge hole, and its going to be quite an uphill battle for this team from here on out. Romo looked like a man with no answers after the game and sounded about the same, when meeting with reporters after the game. “I just feel snake bitten.”

There is no doubt that the Cowboys have been snake bitten by penalties this season, but Dallas has no one to blame for their problems but themselves. Anyone can see that there is a lack of discipline on this team, and when a team has back-to-back penalties in two games for excessive celebration in the end zone, they really can’t point their fingers at anyone else but themselves. Jerry Jones, the team owner of the Dallas Cowboys, elaborated on this very problem after the game. “We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes and penalties.” Dallas ended the game with 11 penalties for 91 yards, and actually had a touchdown called back against them for one of them. The Cowboys defense for the most part, kept Minnesota in check. They held Adrian Peterson under 100 yards rushing, held Brett Favre to just one touchdown pass and harassed him with constant pressure the whole game, and held Randy Moss in check as well. In the end though, all of the dumb penalties came back to haunt them.

The Minnesota Vikings know that even though this game was a step in the right direction, its just one small step, and they need to do much more to turn things around. Head coach Brad Childress’s comments after the game concurred this. “I’m glad that everyone in our division lost today and we won. We’ll enjoy this win for a couple of hours, then get ready for Green Bay next week.” Brett Favre finished the game 14 of 19 for 118 yards and 1 touchdown. Percy Harvin didn’t have any receiving touchdowns, but dealt a big blow in the game in the third quarter, with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Adrian Peterson was held under 100 yards rushing, but managed to get 88, to go along with one rushing touchdown. Randy Moss only had 3 catches for 55 yards with no TD’s, but was part of one very impressive statistic in this game. He is now 8-0 all time against the Dallas Cowboys in his career. Ironically, both of these teams have division rival games coming up next week, and both teams will be playing in the prime time spotlight. The Vikings next game is at Green Bay (3-3), and will be on Sunday Night. The Cowboys go back home and welcome the visiting New York Giants (4-2) on Monday Night Football.