Danielle Hunter injures shoulder, will undergo MRI

Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter is scheduled to undergo an MRI on a shoulder injury suffered in the second quarter of Sunday night's 20-16 loss to the Cowboys, according to coach Mike Zimmer, which will determine the extent of the star's injury.

Hunter, the Vikings' sack leader, was quickly ruled out in the second quarter after leaving the game. He went into the locker room and resurfaced after halftime, talking with teammates while watching the rest of the game from the sideline under a sweatshirt.

Losing Hunter, who had five tackles in under 1.5 quarters, was a blow to a defensive end group that was already thinned by the Stephen Weatherly trade and knee injury to third-round rookie Patrick Jones II. Hunter, who had six sacks entering the game, typically plays about 90% of the snaps.

"It affected us, obviously," Zimmer said.

Everson Griffen, D.J. Wonnum and the second-year Kenny Willekes, who made his NFL debut against Dallas, finished the game. Griffen led the defense with two of the six hits on Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush, who was making his first NFL start for the injured Dak Prescott.

Nose tackle Michael Pierce (elbow) and Jones (knee) had already been ruled out entering Sunday night. Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith exited the second quarter due to a sprained ankle he'd suffered two weeks ago and tried to play through. He was replaced by Ty Nsekhe.

Woods' revenge game

Safety Xavier Woods, the ex-Cowboys starter, played strong against his former team. Woods had a hand in both Vikings takeaways, first grabbing a pass tipped by safety Harrison Smith in the second quarter. He put an exclamation point on his night with a blitz, sack and forced fumble on Rush in the fourth quarter. Woods thumped his chest and stared down the Cowboys sideline after the fumble was recovered by linebacker Anthony Barr.

Woods started 48 games for the Cowboys over four seasons before joining the Vikings on a one-year deal this spring. Entering the game, he said Dallas simply didn't want him back after he played poorly at the end of his tenure.

"Even though I played well," Woods said, "we lost. That stings more."

Long night for Dantzler

Cornerback Cameron Dantzler, the second-year pro, got his first start of the season replacing the injured Patrick Peterson. While Dantzler nearly intercepted Rush in the first half, he was also on the wrong end of completions by Cowboys receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb put Dantzler in a spin cycle with a double move for a 20-yard catch in the first quarter. Cooper opened a third-quarter drive with a 10-yard catch after shaking Dantzler, who was also in coverage during Cooper's 5-yard touchdown that sank the Vikings.

Lamb and Cooper combined for 14 catches for 234 yards and the Cowboys' game-winning score.

Answering the opening bell

Receiver Adam Thielen's 20-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter marked the sixth straight opening-drive score for the Vikings offense. The last time the Vikings didn't score on their first series was the Sept. 12 season-opening loss in Cincinnati.

Thielen's touchdown – his sixth of the year – came from a slick play design by the coaching staff. Facing an aggressive Cowboys secondary, Thielen faked to block for a receiver screen to Justin Jefferson. Quarterback Kirk Cousins sold the screen with a pump fake, and Thielen released up the field unguarded.

Wanted: Points off takeaways

Cousins has taken the field 11 times after the Vikings defense forced a turnover this season – including turnovers on downs. But for the fifth and sixth times on Sunday night, they came up empty on the next possession.

Punter Jordan Berry was called out twice after defensive takeaways in Woods' interception and forced fumble. Each time the offense managed just three plays before punting the ball away. Out of 11 possessions following a turnover, the Vikings offense has four punts, three field goals, two missed field goals, and two touchdowns.