Minnesota Vikings (5-8 SU, 5-8 ATS) vs. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1 SU, 7-6 ATS)
NFL Football Week 15
Date/Time: Sunday Night Football, December 14, 2025 at 8:20PM EST
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: NBC/Peacock
Betting Odds
Point Spread: MIN +5.5/DAL -5.5 (Bovada)
Money Line: MIN +215, DAL -260
Over/Under Total: 47.5
The Minnesota Vikings come to AT&T Stadium for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. On Sunday, the Vikings had a pretty good day, beating Washington, 31-0, with quarterback JJ McCarthy having a good day with three touchdown throws. Dallas, meanwhile, is coming off the long week, following a rough loss to the Lions, 44-30. The defeat dropped them to .500, and they look to get back on the right side of things this week at home. Who should we get behind on Sunday night?
Getting a Lay of the Land
Granted, the Cowboys are the only team in this game that still really has a shot at the postseason. Dallas’ hopes took a pretty big hit against Detroit, but the Eagles also lost, and they’re at least vaguely in the division race with a shot at the wild card. Minnesota, while not technically eliminated, would need some good things to happen before even entertaining a realistic path to the playoffs. Still, even with the Vikings at 5-8, they are not folding up their tents and going home.
Whereas widespread team success in 2025 is no longer the most realistic motivation, the Vikings have a lot of key parts of their team still pushing hard. Coach Kevin O’Connell wants to get this ship pointed in the right direction. While Washington may not have been a demanding opponent, they performed well on both sides of the ball last week, looking as good as they have all season. And while QB JJ McCarthy hasn’t done his future a ton of favors with this uneven season, he looked good last week, has been deceptively good in other weeks, and looks to also close strong. But alas, they are going into a tough place to play against a team that can throw a lot at you in the Cowboys.
The Two Sides of Dallas
The Cowboys’ offense is still clicking, in the hands of capable and consistent Dak Prescott. Losing CeeDee Lamb to a concussion last week was a bad setback. Lately, it hasn’t been common for players to come back in a week from a concussion, though they are getting the long week. It’s worth watching as the week progresses, though they might not be as hopeless without their top receiver as some may assume. They have enough other viable weapons and a deep enough cast of role receivers to patch things together for a short time. It’s still a big piece of missing artillery should he not be in, which the odds would seem to favor early in the week.
Where Minnesota’s most-accessible path to victory might exist is on the other side of the ball, taking on a Dallas defense that can sink to depths as low as any team in the conference. In defense of Dallas, most of their worst showings were against offenses better than the Vikings’. But even non-premier offenses can score with regularity against this Cowboys defense. There have been spots in recent weeks where we’ve seen them tighten up some, but even a Vikings’ offense that has never appeared close to hitting top gear this season could do some considerable damage in this spot.
But Not So Fast…
Minnesota flourished at home last week on the defensive side of the ball, shutting out the Commanders after being shut out the previous week by the Seahawks. The win reversed an ugly 4-game losing streak, and beating a Washington team that was besieged with issues mid-game does not restore order. Now they take to the road, and the offense they will be facing will be gunning hard with playoff motivations as their fuel. Hats off to the Vikings for soldiering through a tough season to still be here putting up a fight. And truth be told, their defense can play with a high level of top-form that can surface unexpectedly in a given week. It’s just that on the road against an offense like this isn’t the time you’d necessarily expect that to occur.
Again, trying to get some juice out of this Minnesota offense might be the best route. It’s not such a hopeless equation, perhaps, especially against this “D.” Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones are a nice one-two punch out of the backfield. JJ Jefferson and Jordan Addison are two good targets, and then you have guys separating from the pack, like last week when backup TE Josh Oliver scored two touchdowns. On one hand, McCarthy has been unable to turn loose one of the best receiving talents in Jefferson. But with injuries and some other issues on the team, along with an underperforming O-line, there has perhaps been a rush to judgment on McCarthy, or at least an overstating of his issues. It’s not really that hard to envision him having a good game in this spot.
Lay the Points
There are some contrasting schools of thought here. One is that Dallas has fought hard, and they may have hit a wall. Another is that last week might not be the most solid indicator that the Vikings are back or are even going to be trouble for better teams coming down the stretch. Even without Lamb, there is enough juice and urgency on this Dallas offense to push the issue, and that a Minnesota offense still working things out isn’t in the best position to push a home Dallas team that has a lot to play for this week. I also suspect the extra time between games and getting this at home will give Dallas a little edge as they get the clear win on Sunday night. I’m taking Dallas.
Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread:
I’m betting on the Dallas Cowboys minus 5.5 points.
