5 NFL teams that must win in Week 11

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 10: Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) looks on during the NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 10, 2019 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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2. Dallas Cowboys

America’s Team has vacillated between dominant Super Bowl contender and overrated fraud for most of the season, and their last game was no exception. Facing the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, the Cowboys showed flashes of brilliance and frustrating miscues all at once.

Dallas got plenty of highlight-reel catches from their wide receivers, with Randall Cobb and Amari Cooper making particularly nifty grabs all night long. Dak Prescott was also on the money with plenty of his throws, giving the Cowboys a great shot to win this game.

There were two main problems in this defeat, the first being the Cowboys’ complete inability to contain Dalvin Cook. The other was a lack of imagination with Ezekiel Elliott, who the Vikings keyed on throughout the contest, only for Dallas to continually try running him up the gut to little effect.

The defeat dropped the Cowboys to 5-4, which is still good enough for first place in the NFC East due to their head-to-head victory over the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this year. Dallas has a brutal upcoming schedule, however, so they can’t afford to give up more games like they did on Sunday.

Next up for the Cowboys is a banged-up Lions team that may not have Matthew Stafford for the second straight game. With a trip to New England looming in Week 12, the Cowboys have to find a way to get past the Lions and pick up their sixth victory of the year.

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