The Minnesota Vikings‘ defense will look for a repeat performance when they travel to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. Minnesota recorded a shutout against the Washington Commanders, but duplicating that outing will be a challenge.

Despite coming off a loss to the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys’ offense scored 30 points, which should be enough to win, but the Dallas defense gave up 44 points. Nonetheless, the task for defensive coordinator Brian Flores will be to contain the opposing team’s offense.

Ahead of what will be a challenging opponent, Vikings head coach shared his thoughts on Dak Prescott, who is the heart of stirring the Cowboys’ offensive drink. On December 12, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell shared his thoughts on facing Prescott.

“He leads the league in passing,” O’Connell told reporters. “You see him will that team to wins. Obviously, they’ve got a lot of talent around him on that offense. But just, you know, his makeup, the way he leads, there is a sense of belief that they’re going to go out there and win every game because of how he operates and the standard he sets not only for himself but that he sets for that team, and others follow.

“I couldn’t respect Dak Prescott more as a person and, more importantly, as a quarterback in this league for a really long time. He came to the league as a fourth-round pick.”

Vikings Will Need to Contain Cowboys’ Wide Receiving Duo

Along with needing to worry about Prescott, the Vikings’ defense will need to contain CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Pickens has 78 catches for 1,179 yards and has scored eight touchdowns in 13 games this season. Meanwhile, Lamb has had 57 catches for 865 yards and has scored three touchdowns in 10 games this season.

On December 9, Flores, who was on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching staff when Pickens was a rookie, shared his thoughts on facing this duo.

“This is probably one of the best, if not the best, receiver tandems in the league with George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb,“ Flores told reporters. “That was with George in Pittsburgh. When you want to talk about a guy who makes incredible catches every day in practice, that’s George Pickens. That’s what I watched in Pittsburgh for an entire year as a rookie.

“He’s grown and gotten better, and based on what I saw when I was in Pittsburgh, I’m not surprised by the year he’s having at all. And CeeDee’s probably sitting there going, ‘Why isn’t he talking about me?‘ He’s fantastic too. They have one of the best tandems in football, and Dak does a great job of getting these guys the ball.”

George Pickens Looks to Bounce Back Against Vikings

Heading into the matchup with the Vikings, Pickens aims to rebound after a tough showing. In Week 14 against the Detroit Lions, he managed only five catches on nine targets for 37 yards, his lowest total of the season.

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer mentioned on December 8 that he recently talked with Pickens about several topics, including his performance in the 44-30 defeat to Detroit.

“We talked a little about it, “ Schottenheimer said (h/t The Athletic). “In his words, he goes, ‘Hey, Schotty, I didn’t play my best game. ‘ Unfortunately, none of us played our best game. That’s real. But I don’t worry about George and his love for football and playing this game.”