The Cowboys left a lot of points out on the field in Detroit, and the same can't happen in Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Dallas Cowboys didn't play their best in the loss to the Detroit Lions, and there was plenty of blame to go around.
But as the Minnesota Vikings and Brian Flores' defense come into view, one thing the Cowboys can't repeat is the poor red-zone efficiency that plagued them in Detroit.
Going 1/3 in the redzone, while being a combined 5/9 in the previous two weeks against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the Cowboys can't afford to leave points on the field Sunday night.
So, does anything have to be changed as the Cowboys gear up to face a Vikings defense that is the third-best unit in not conceding touchdowns in the redzone in 2025 (just 46 percent)?
Running back Javonte Williams doesn't think so.
“We not switching nothing up," Williams said. "We just got to execute better. I feel like just communication between us, the O-line, tight ends. As far as pass protection, it was kind of off in a Detroit game, but we just got to get back on track and play our game."
With the Vikings defense, with Flores at the helm, one of the highest blitzing units in football, Dak Prescott was under siege in Detroit, getting sacked five times and being hit several times as No. 4 was battered and bruised by the end of the game.
That can't happen again, and with Flores and his exotic style of blitzing, Williams, who for the most part this season has been superb in pass protection, will once again have his hands full.
But how does he keep his quarterback upright when missiles are coming from any and all directions?
“Stick to the fundamentals, don't try to be Superman, anything like that, just do my job,” Williams added. “I got to make sure I'm on my P's and Q's, it all just come back down to communication. As long as the O line know who they going to, we pretty much got everybody up. So, as long as we communicate, I feel like we'll be all right.”
So, Williams knows the task at hand, and if the Cowboys want to win their seventh game of the season, Prescott can't be sacked five times and running for his life as he was in Detroit.
Keep No. 4 clean is the path forward, but against the Vikings, for that to happen, everyone has to be on the same page, and Williams sounds confident everyone will be.