SNF Recap: Cooper Rush Fills In For Dak, Lifts Dallas Cowboys Over Minnesota Vikings, 20-16

A game-time decision kept Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott inactive for Dallas' Sunday Night Football matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Cooper Rush was put in charge of the offense and helped elevate the Dallas Cowboys to a 20-16 win.

Rush finished the game completing 24 of 40 passes for 325 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. The offense appeared to miss Prescott's veteran play for two quarters, with the Cowboys down 10-3 heading into halftime.

Aided by a loaded arsenal of wideouts, a determined Rush remained in good hands: feeding Amari Cooper to the tune of eight catches for 122 yards, CeeDee Lamb catching 6 passes for 112 yards and Cedrick Wilson sparking the offense in the third with a 73-yard touchdown.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was off to a hot start for the evening, finding Adam Thielen for a 20-yard score in the first quarter. Cousins simmered into a game manager for the rest of the night: finishing with 184 yards on 23-of-35.

The Dallas defense kept the Vikings QB at bay, despite only earning one sack. They finished with nine total QB hits and six tackles for loss.

Down 16-13 with less than five minutes left in the fourth, Cooper Rush led the Cowboys into Vikings territory, expecting to boot the game-tying field goal and head into overtime. A dump off to Ezekiel Elliott on Minnesota's 25 went for 20 yards, changing their plan by putting the Cowboys in prime scoring position.

The final score was set as the Cooper to Cooper connection paid off one last time: Rush finding his lead receiver for a 5-yard touchdown and 55 seconds left. Dallas watched the time run out on the Vikings in the ensuing series, hanging on for the 20-16 win.

Dallas improves to 6-1 while the Minnesota Vikings fall to 3-4.

Follow along on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela