Ben Goessling's Vikings-Cowboys preview and prediction: Who wins and why?

When: 3:25 p.m. Sunday, U.S. Bank Stadium

TV, radio: Ch. 4, 100.3-FM

Line: Cowboys by 1½

Matchup with Cowboys begins Vikings' week in the spotlight: The dramatic victory at Buffalo last Sunday earned the Vikings (8-1) plenty of national attention, and they will play two games this week that will be broadcast nationwide. Most of the country will get the Vikings' late-afternoon game with the Cowboys (6-3) on Sunday, as Jim Nantz and Tony Romo call a rare NFC matchup on CBS, and the Vikings are at home Thanksgiving night against the Patriots after that.

Jefferson closes in on another record: After his 10-catch, 193-yard day against the Bills — including his one-handed grab seen around the world — earned him NFC offensive player of the week honors, Justin Jefferson can break another one of Randy Moss' records on Sunday. He is only 88 yards away from eclipsing Moss' NFL record for most receiving yards in the first three years of a career (Moss put up 4,163 yards from 1998 to 2000).

Cowboys defense has familiar faces: After he left Mike Zimmer's staff following the 2019 season, former Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards wound up on Mike McCarthy's Cowboys staff as a senior defensive assistant. Edwards' presence in Dallas made it an attractive landing spot for linebacker Anthony Barr, who will return to Minnesota after eight years with the team and face close friend Eric Kendricks for the first time.

Vikings RT Brian O'Neill vs. Cowboys' pass rush: O'Neill will line up across from Cowboys Pro Bowl player DeMarcus Lawrence. Dallas will move star linebacker Micah Parsons around, but Parsons will often be off Lawrence's shoulder on the strong side of the Cowboys' defense. Either way, the Cowboys' complement of pass-rushing options will be another test for O'Neill, a week after facing Von Miller in Buffalo.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson vs. Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs: A year ago, Diggs was named an All-Pro with an 11-interception season that saw him return two picks for touchdowns. This year, he has three interceptions in nine games, but the Cowboys' penchant for playing man coverage could leave Diggs in one-on-one matchups with Jefferson, who has feasted on those looks this season. Diggs likes to take chances; the Vikings could try to take advantage of his aggressiveness.

29.6 The Cowboys' pressure rate for the season; only the Patriots (at 29.7%) have pressured quarterbacks on a greater percentage of dropbacks this year.

They can deal with a Cowboys pass rush that will send defenders after Kirk Cousins in waves, and take advantage of a secondary that could be in trouble if it uses man coverage to deal with Jefferson. The Vikings could also find success running the ball against a defense that has given up more than 200 yards on the ground in each of its last two games, and will try to pressure Dak Prescott with a loud home crowd energizing Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith.

They can pressure Cousins frequently enough to keep him from finding Jefferson downfield and find advantageous matchups for CeeDee Lamb against a secondary where rookie Andrew Booth Jr. will make his first start at right cornerback. Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott will also test a Vikings defense that allowed a season-high 175 rushing yards last week; Pollard is averaging 6.0 yards per carry this season.

The Cowboys pass rush makes this a tricky matchup for the Vikings, and a week after facing Stefon Diggs, things won't get easier with Lamb on the field. But if the Vikings can give Cousins enough time to work on the Cowboys secondary, it could be another big day for Jefferson. The Vikings will lean on Jefferson and Dalvin Cook on their way to a close victory in an entertaining late-afternoon game. Vikings 29, Cowboys 27