Rested and ready to light up the scoreboard.
That's what the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings bring to Sunday night's prime-time matchup.
"This is a big game for us," Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson says. "One, it's Sunday night. The world will be watching, and we want to show the world that the Vikings are not the ones to be counted out. Plus, they're 5-1, so they're a great team and we want to be on that plus side of our record."
Yes, it's a game that means a ton to both sides, even this early in the schedule: The Cowboys (5-1) believe they have a shot at the NFC's best record and the Vikings (3-3) are in position to contend for a wild-card playoff berth.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
That's more than two months away, though. For now, coming off their bye weeks, both teams bring strong offenses to the field -- Dallas first overall, Minnesota fifth.
The Cowboys have at least two straight games of 500-plus yards of total offense for the second year in a row, but quarterback Dak Prescott comes off a calf problem. He also will face a pass rush that has a league-best 21 sacks.
"Those guys up front are doing a great job," Vikings safety Harrison Smith says. "For the most part, we've been playing good as a unit. There were a few plays, especially early on, we didn't like obviously, but we've tightened some things up. The thing is, it doesn't mean everything's fixed. You just go to the next week, the next issue, whatever. So you've got to stay vigilant with that."
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Minnesota's Kirk Cousins must keep an eye -- or both eyes -- on cornerback Trevon Diggs. He would set an NFL record with an interception, giving him at least one in the first seven games to start a season. The Cowboys also have the NFL's longest active streak with multiple takeaways at 10 straight games.
The action began with Green Bay beating previously undefeated Arizona 24-21 on Thursday night.
Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes to Randall Cobb and the Packers won after Kyler Murray's stunning late interception. The Cardinals looked like they were going to rally to win their eighth straight game but Murray threw an interception on second-and-goal with 12 seconds left. A.J. Green didn't expect the pass to come his way, never turned around and Green Bay's Rasul Douglas was there to snatch the ball in the corner of the end zone.
