Cowboys cling to playoff hopes as Vikings visit with focus on McCarthy's growth

Minnesota (5-8) at Dallas (6-6-1)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC

BetMGM NFL odds: Cowboys by 6.

Against the spread: Vikings 5-7; Cowboys 7-6.

Series record: Cowboys lead 19-15.

Last meeting: Cowboys beat Vikings 40-3 on Nov. 20, 2022, in Minneapolis.

Last week: Vikings beat Commanders 31-0; Cowboys lost to Lions 44-30.

Vikings offense: overall (28), rush (24), pass (30), scoring (26).

Vikings defense: overall (8), rush (22), pass (4), scoring (124).

Cowboys offense: overall (1), rush (16), pass (1), scoring (3).

Cowboys defense: overall (29), rush (20), pass (32), scoring (31).

Turnover differential: Vikings minus-12, Cowboys minus-8.

RB Jordan Mason. With a career-high six touchdown runs and a team-leading 630 yards rushing, Mason has been well worth the late draft pick the Vikings sent to San Francisco to acquire the 26-year-old last spring. Mason is averaging more than 6 yards per attempt over the last five games and should continue to be a prominent part of the game plan down the stretch.

WR George Pickens. He faced questions about his effort in the loss to the Lions after what appeared to be several instances of half-hearted route-running. If CeeDee Lamb can't play after suffering a concussion against Detroit, there will be even more focus on Pickens. Pickens did average 120 yards while scoring four touchdowns in the three games Lamb missed with an ankle injury this season. Pickens is third in the NFL with 1,179 yards receiving despite the Lions limiting him to 37 yards.

QB J.J. McCarthy vs. Dallas' pass defense. The best game of what is essentially McCarthy's first season came against the Commanders. The second-year pro who missed all of his rookie year with a knee injury had his most touchdown passes with three in his first game without a turnover. McCarthy had a 129.2 passer rating in his seventh start after averaging 51.3 in his previous five games. Now he faces the NFL's worst pass defense. The Cowboys have struggled in the secondary most of the season trying to implement first-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus' zone-heavy scheme.

Vikings: They fielded their expected starting lineup on both offense and defense last week for the first time this season and reported no significant injuries during the Washington game.

Cowboys: DE Jadeveon Clowney was a game-time decision in the loss to Detroit, so the extra time off should bode well for his return after missing just that game with a hamstring injury. ... LT Tyler Guyton is probably at least another week away from returning from a sprained ankle that has sidelined him two games.

The Cowboys have won five of the past six meetings, but the only loss was at home, 28-24 in 2019. Dallas is 13-7 on the road against Minnesota, but just 6-8 in Texas. ... The Vikings have lost four consecutive Sunday night road games since that 2019 victory over the Cowboys. They also lost their last Sunday night meeting with Dallas, 20-16 at home in 2021 when Cooper Rush started in place of injured star quarterback Dak Prescott for the Cowboys.

The Vikings are 1-7 on the road and 5-10 overall in prime time under coach Kevin O’Connell. Over the last 20 seasons, the Vikings are 9-28 on the road and 24-42 overall in night games. ... The Cowboys trail NFC East-leading Philadelphia by 1 1/2 games with four to play after their three-game winning streak was stopped by Detroit. The Eagles have lost three in a row. ... McCarthy's completion percentage is 56%. The only lower percentage among quarterbacks with at least one start is Cleveland rookie Shedeur Sanders (52.4%). … WR Justin Jefferson has just four catches for 15 yards over the last two games. He needs 134 yards receiving to pass Randy Moss for the most by a player over his first six NFL seasons. ... The Vikings have at least two sacks in 24 of 31 games since the start of the 2024 season, second most in the league behind Denver (28). ... The Vikings have allowed 2.24 yards per play in the red zone this season, the second-fewest in the league. They rank third in red zone touchdown rate. ... Prescott can set a franchise record with a fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game. The NFL leader in yards passing is facing a defense that has held opponents to 250 yards or fewer through the air in 12 of 13 games, and allowed an average of just 112 yards over the past three games. ... RB Javonte Williams clinched his first 1,000-yard season last week. The fifth-year back is seventh in the NFL with 1,022 yards. ... Lamb has at least 100 yards receiving in five of his nine games, not counting a loss at Chicago when he injured an ankle the only time he touched the ball, on a designed running play out of the backfield. He didn't finish his fifth 100-yard effort. Lamb had seven catches for 110 yards when he suffered the concussion against the Lions. ... DE Donovan Ezeiruaku is second among rookies with nine tackles for loss. ... DE Sam Williams is the only player in the NFL with two blocked kicks and a blocked punt this season. ... K Brandon Aubrey is the first in league history with at least 100 field goals in his first three seasons.

All three of McCarthy’s touchdown passes last week went to tight ends — two to Josh Oliver and one to T.J. Hockenson. The Vikings are trying to simplify the offense through McCarthy's struggles and quick or underneath throws seem to be part of the plan. Hockenson could be poised for a strong finish in what has so far been a career-worst season and would be worth a pickup in a league where a frustrated owner sent him to the waiver wire.

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Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) scores a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) reaches but is unable to pull a catch as Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed defends during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after running back Jordan Mason, foreground left, scored a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott works out prior to an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge in Maryland ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia freed from immigration detention on Thursday while his legal challenge against his deportation moves forward.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must release Abrego Garcia from custody immediately.

“Since Abrego Garcia’s return from wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority,” the judge wrote. “For this reason, the Court will GRANT Abrego Garcia’s Petition for immediate release from ICE custody.”

The Department of Homeland Security was highly critical of the judge's order and vowed to oppose it, calling it “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. "This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary.

Messages seeking comment were left with Abrego Garcia’s attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg.

Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, has an American wife and child and has lived in Maryland for years, but he originally immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager. An immigration judge in 2019 ruled Abrego Garcia could not be deported to El Salvador because he faced danger from a gang that targeted his family. When Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported there in March, his case became a rallying point for those who oppose President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. under a court order. Since he cannot be deported to El Salvador, ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. His lawsuit in federal court claims Trump's Republican administration is illegally using the deportation process to punish Abrego Garcia over the embarrassment of his mistaken deportation to El Salvador.

Meanwhile, in a separate action in immigration court, Abrego Garcia is petitioning to reopen his immigration case to seek asylum in the United States.

Additionally, Abrego Garcia is facing criminal charges in federal court in Tennessee, where he has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling. He has filed a motion to dismiss the charges, claiming the prosecution is vindictive.

A judge has ordered an evidentiary hearing to be held on the motion after previously finding some evidence that the prosecution against Abrego Garcia “may be vindictive.” The judge said many statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”

The judge specifically cited a statement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that seemed to suggest the Justice Department charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful deportation case.

FILE - Kilmar Abrego Garcia joins supporters in a protest rally outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)