3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 11 Win vs. Vikings

In Week 10, the Dallas Cowboys had one of their most disappointing showings of the season. They blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead before losing a road matchup against the struggling Green Bay Packers in overtime.

Dallas faced a much more daunting task in Week 11, when it again had to go on the road to face the red-hot Minnesota Vikings. But the Cowboys used the opportunity to make a huge statement.

On Sunday, they bounced back by dismantling Minnesota in a 40-3 rout at U.S. Bank Stadium. Everything went the Cowboys' way, as they built a 20-point lead by halftime and then cruised en route to snapping the Vikings' seven-game winning streak and handing them their second loss of the season.

Here are three takeaways from Dallas' Week 11 win.

The Cowboys' defense is typically strong, but the unit proved to be very beatable in Week 10, when the Packers racked up 415 total yards in their comeback victory.

It was clear that Dallas wanted to prove itself in a tough matchup against Minnesota, which has an offense filled with talented playmakers.

Not only did the Cowboys play better on defense, but they also completely shut down the Vikings, which had only 183 total yards. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins lost a fumble for the game's lone turnover and was sacked seven times, which included two apiece from Micah Parsons and Dorance Armstrong.

"Exactly what I expected," Dallas safety Jayron Kearse said, per the team's official site. "We knew we were going to come in and knock them off their horse."

It was the sixth time this year that the Cowboys allowed 17 or fewer points in a game. And the three points given up were a season low.

So, it appears the Dallas defense is back on track, which is a scary thought for offenses that will face the unit in the upcoming weeks.

Even with Ezekiel Elliott back from a knee injury on Sunday, Tony Pollard got plenty of touches. It was a wise decision, considering how well the 25-year-old running back has played in recent weeks. And he fared well again versus the Vikings.

The 25-year-old recorded 15 carries for 80 yards and notched six catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard score early in the third quarter that pushed the Cowboys' lead to 30-3.

Pollard was the more effective of Dallas' top two RBs, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Elliott had only 42 yards on 15 attempts, although he scored a pair of rushing touchdowns.

Despite the Memphis product outperforming Elliott, he's happy with how the Cowboys are managing the backfield duo.

"That's something that we've got to keep going all year," Pollard told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (h/t NFL.com). "Just keeping us fresh in the game, you know, rotating. Just keeping the defense guessing. Just keeping them on their toes."

If that's going to help Pollard have more performances like this, then it's smart for Dallas to do that. Because at this point, he is proving to be its most valuable offensive playmaker.

The Dallas offense scored four touchdowns in Sunday's victory. But even when the unit couldn't punch the ball into the end zone, it still came away with plenty of points. That was thanks to Brett Maher, who put on quite a kicking performance.

The 33-year-old made all four of his field-goal attempts and all four of his extra-point tries to account for 16 points.

Maher made three FGs that were 50 or more yards, including a 60-yarder on the final play of the first half. He even made that one twice, as the officials wanted a replay review of the previous play but the whistle came just shortly before he booted it through.

"The emotions were already kind of out there after I made the first one," Maher told reporters. "To be able to back down and [regather] myself to where I needed to be, I'm very happy with how I handled it."

Over his four seasons in the NFL, Maher has made four field goals of 60 or more yards, an NFL record. However, he already owned that mark, as nobody else in league history has even made three from that distance.