On the Vikings' first theoretical pass play of the game, Kirk Cousins dropped back, dropped to the ground and dropped the ball. Cowboys star Micah Parsons circumnavigated left tackle Christian Darrisaw like a snowmobile around a tree stump, caught Cousins from behind and created a trailer for the upcoming series of events that would give Dallas a 40-3 victory over the previously esteemed Vikings.
The worst Vikings loss ever to occur within the Minneapolis city limits was also their most embarrassing loss to an NFC East team since their infamous 41-0 surrender to the New York Giants in the 2000 NFC title game.
That became known as "41-donut." Sunday, the Vikings curated a nothing burger. It was rare and rancid.
Dallas — that other team no one can trust — destroyed the team with the second-best record in the NFL by overwhelming an offensive line that, until Sunday, had been good enough often enough.
Before Sunday, Cousins had never been sacked seven times in one NFL game. Dallas earned six of those sacks with a four-man rush, meaning there can be no excuses about schemes or disguises. The Vikings offensive line got shoved, and didn't shove back.
After recent victories, Cousins has worn his teammates' jewelry. Sunday, he needed to borrow their Icy Hot.
When a team loses by 37, more than one thing went wrong, but the first and most causal problem was the disintegration of what had been a functional offensive line.
Darrisaw, playing after escaping the concussion protocol, did not play after halftime because of another concussion.
