COWBOYS, VIKINGS RENEW RIVALRY IN PRIMETIME:
Two proud franchises that have combined for 12 Super Bowl appearances and 35 Pro Football Hall of Famers clash on Sunday Night Football (7:20 PM, NBC) when the DALLAS COWBOYS (5-1) visit the MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-3).
• Each team is coming off its bye weekend, after each team captured overtime victories on the road, both by a touchdown. It’s the first time two teams are meeting following road overtime victories since Nov. 2, 2014, when Minnesota met Washington in similar circumstances.
• MIKE MCCARTHY-coached teams are 10-4 (.714) in games after bye weekends, including the head coach’s time at the reins of the Packers (2006-18) and Cowboys (2020-present).
• In the Cowboys’ last game, Week 6 at New England, Dallas quarterback DAK PRESCOTT made his 75th career start and passed for 445 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 108.7 rating. Also in that contest, cornerback TREVON DIGGS registered a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown.
• Prescott now has 39 games with a passer rating of 100-or-higher and has surpassed PHILIP RIVERS (38) for the third-most such games by a player in his first 75 career starts in NFL history. Only AARON RODGERS (43) and TONY ROMO (41) had more.
• Diggs leads the league with seven interceptions. He has joined Pro Football Hall of Famer ROD WOODSON (1993) as the only players since 1970 with seven interceptions in their team’s first six games of a season.
• Diggs also is the second player in the Super Bowl era to record at least one interception in each of his team’s first six games of a season, joining BRIAN RUSSELL (first six games in 2003).
• With an interception at Minnesota, Diggs would break the league record for longest stretch of season-opening games (by a player, not team) with an interception. The record is shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer TOM LANDRY (first six games, 1951), BARRY WILBURN (Weeks 1-2 and 7-10 during strike season of 1987) and BRIAN RUSSELL (first six games, 2003). The NFL record for consecutive overall player games with an interception is held by TOMMY MORROW (eight straight games from 1962-63). The NFL record for single-season consecutive player games with an interception is seven, shared by Pro Football Hall of Famers PAUL KRAUSE (1964) and LARRY WILSON (1966), as well as BEN DAVIS (1968).
• Dallas wide receiver AMARI COOPER needs one receiving touchdown to become just the eighth player in NFL history with five in each of his first seven seasons.
• Minnesota quarterback KIRK COUSINS passed for 373 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 112.6 rating in the Vikings’ 34-28 overtime win at Carolina.
• Cousins has 20 career games with at least 300 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 110-or-higher, surpassing AARON RODGERS (19 games) for the most such games by quarterback in his first 10 seasons in NFL history.
• Cousins, who in Week 6 played his 115th NFL game, now has 30,141 career passing yards and 203 touchdown passes. He joined Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING and DAN MARINO as the only players to reach 30,000 passing yards and 200 touchdown passes over their first 115 games in NFL history.
(info courtesy of the NFL)
