Early in the fourth quarter it seemed the malaise that often accompanies Thursday Night Football games might envelop even the juggernaut-like Dallas Cowboys. But a fumble on a Minnesota punt return opened the door, and Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant marched right through, leading the Cowboys to an eventual 17-15 victory over the Vikings.
In a hard-fought but error-prone game by both teams, the fumble on the punt return proved to be the key play. Minnesota had just taken a 9-6 lead, and appeared poised to pile on after a defensive stand. On a 4th-and-24, Dallas’s Chris Jones punted the ball 46 yards to Adam Thielen, who tried to make something happen on a return but coughed up the ball as he was tackled, and Kyle Wilber recovered it at the 8-yard line.