Dak Prescott and Cowboys watch playoff hopes all but vanish in 34-26 loss to Vikings

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The last time Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys were on their home field, they had finished a two-game sweep of last season's Super Bowl teams to spark talk of a rally to a playoff spot.

This time, they watched those postseason hopes all but vanish.

J.J. McCarthy threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score, C.J. Ham had the go-ahead TD on his first carry of the season and the Minnesota Vikings put Dallas on the brink of elimination with a 34-26 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday night.

The Vikings (6-8) won a second consecutive game after they were eliminated from the postseason race before the kickoff. Minnesota was a 14-win playoff qualifier a year ago.

The Cowboys (6-7-1) have to win their three remaining games and hope defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia goes 0-3 in order for Dallas to overtake the Eagles in the NFC East.

It was a second straight loss for Dallas after a three-game winning streak put them over .500 for the only time this season, capped with victories four days apart at AT&T Stadium over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Eagles.

“Definitely surprised, especially (to) get rolling like we did for those few weeks, then watch the confidence just skyrocket,” Prescott said. “Stopping teams, scoring at will, coming back from 21 points (down), a lot of good wins there that, to be in this position just reminds you every play matters. It's a hard game.”

Both of McCarthy's TD tosses were to Jalen Nailor, and the quarterback danced star receiver Justin Jefferson's “Griddy” across the goal line when a nifty bootleg left him all alone on fourth-and-goal at the 1.

Ham's 1-yard plunge put Minnesota ahead 24-23 late in the third quarter, and Nailor's second touchdown grab pushed the lead to eight early in the fourth as the Vikings became the spoiler just a few hours after their day was spoiled.

“It’s just a thing to keep building on the rest of the way and leading into next year,” Nailor said. “We just have a one-game mindset no matter what our record is.”

Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals and had a 6-yard run for a first down on a fake to keep alive the drive to Dallas' first touchdown, but he missed multiple field goals at home for the first time in his three seasons.

Aubrey was wide right from 51 and 59 yards, the latter setting up a short field for a drive that ended in Nailor's 4-yard catch for a 31-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings forced a turnover on downs when Malik Davis' catch was originally ruled a first down on fourth-and-7, but replay assist quickly reversed the call.

Aaron Jones ran 4 yards on fourth-and-1, and Will Reichard kicked a clinching 53-yard field goal with 1:08 remaining after Dallas' unsuccessful challenge that Jones was down before the ball came out on a 16-yard run for another first down.

Aubrey's fourth field goal got Dallas within eight with 19 seconds remaining, but Josh Oliver recovered the onside kick.

McCarthy was 15 of 24 for 250 yards with an interception, a tipped ball that ended up in the arms of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams on his first pass of the game.

While the 2024 first-round pick who won a national championship at Michigan has struggled most of the season, his record as Minnesota's starter improved to 4-4.

“I think just experience, getting to my eighth game and just feeing more and more comfortable in the pocket, seeing the defenses,” McCarthy said. “I’m just another piece of the puzzle.”

Prescott, the NFL leader in yards passing coming in, was 23 of 38 for 294 yards but was held without a touchdown pass for just the third time this season. Javonte Williams and Malik Davis each had a 1-yard TD run for Dallas.

“We never got to the point where I felt like we were able to just kind of seize momentum,” first-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “There wasn’t a momentum-changing play in any regard other than probably the interception early in the game.”

Vikings: DL Javon Hargrave exited with a groin injury and was ruled out. ... T Brian O'Neill injured an ankle.

Cowboys: Williams was ruled out in the second half with a concussion. ... LT Nate Thomas, the backup filling in for the inactive Tyler Guyton (ankle), injured a shoulder. ... FB Hunter Luepke was ruled out with a concussion after getting injured covering a kickoff to finish the first half. ... DE Jadeveon Clowney was active after missing one game with a hamstring injury.

Vikings: Road finale at the New York Giants next Sunday.

Cowboys: Regular-season home finale against the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott speaks to his teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor makes a catch in the end zone for a touchdown as Dallas Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Cowboys running back Hunter Luepke, center, is stopped by Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, right, and linebacker Blake Cashman during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) throws a pass under pressure from Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard, left, and linebacker Eric Wilson during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) celebrates after making a field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens looks on from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) and wide receiver Jordan Addison celebrate after a touchdown by wide receiver Jalen Nailor during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A huge game awaits the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

It'll happen in Houston, even though the Timberwolves will be in Los Angeles. There will be no dunks, no traveling, no 3-pointers. No halftime, either. No shot clock, but there will be a pitch clock.

And there will be fouls. Well, foul balls.

These are fun times for the Timberwolves. They're in the thick of an airtight Western Conference playoff race, but they're getting a neat and probably unexpected diversion — the World Baseball Classic. Minnesota assistant coach Micah Nori's son is Dante Nori, and he's been a breakout player for Italy in that tournament. Italy plays the U.S. on Tuesday night, a game that starts a couple of hours before the Timberwolves take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I will be watching the Timberwolves,” Micah Nori said. “But at 6 o'clock Pacific time, I will be focused on the Italians and the Americans in the WBC, for sure.”

Make no mistake, the Timberwolves are focused on the stretch run and trying to lock up the best possible playoff seed. But that doesn't mean head coach Chris Finch, co-owner Alex Rodriguez — the slugger who knows a thing or two about baseball — and others within the organization can't stop and cheer for one of their own, even if it does mean paying attention to a different sport.

“My family is obviously locked in on it, but so is our organization," Micah Nori said. “It sounds crazy, but so many guys are locked in. Our head coach is a big fan, and I can't tell you how many people send videos or pictures of them watching Dante's game. It means a lot. It is a welcome distraction, if you will, one that has you just get away from the grind a little bit.”

Dante Nori is 5 for 7 through his first two games of the tournament, with a two-homer game in Italy's win over Brazil on Saturday.

His father says that by the time Dante was 4, he figured his future was in baseball. As the story goes, Dante would try to play on his toy basket and Micah would swat his shot away and put the baseball bat in his hands instead.

Dante says the baseball-over-basketball realization actually happened around the time he was in middle school and realized he wasn't going to get past 5-foot-9.

“It was a very easy choice,” Dante Nori said. “Just keep the cleats on and play baseball.”

Having Dante wear Italia across his chest for this tournament is a big deal to the family. But it's not exactly a stretch that Micah Nori — someone who could easily be an NBA head coach one day — has a kid who excels in baseball.

And really, baseball has basically been the family sport.

Fred Nori, Micah Nori's father, played three years of college baseball at Indiana before spending a few seasons in pro ball. Micah Nori also played baseball at Indiana, batting a team-best .365 as a senior. Butch Carter got him into basketball as an advance scout with the Toronto Raptors, but he wound up leaving that role to return to the Hoosiers as a coach. Micah Nori returned to the NBA four years later and has been in the league ever since.

“Being around all these great NBA players your whole life, it helps you out listening to them, seeing their work ethic, seeing what they had to do to get there," Dante Nori said. "And then the standpoint of getting to rep that name — Italia — across your chest, you’re playing for your ancestors, you're playing for your family, especially my grandpa Fred. Him getting to watch is really special. All of that, it’s just all coming together. It's sweet.”

It's not lost on the Nori family that one of the guys running the Wolves right now was a 14-time All-Star, three-time MVP, a World Series champion and someone who hit 696 home runs in his career.

Yes, A-Rod is a fine guy for Dante Nori to have in his corner. It's just another illustration of how, for the Timberwolves and the Nori family, the worlds of baseball and basketball are meshing perfectly together right now.

“Alex has been great the few times that Dante and he have crossed paths when Dante was in Minnesota, even when he was in high school," Micah Nori said. “Alex is always taking time to give Dante some advice. And I think that’s been huge. Just the fact that Dante has been fortunate enough to grow up in professional locker rooms, he realizes that they're just people but he sees the work ethic. And that's why I think he gets to the WBC and just focuses on playing his game. He's not distracted or overwhelmed by it all."

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Italy's Dante Nori, right, celebrates after hitting a home run against Brazil during the seventh inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Philadelphia Phillies' Kehden Hettiger, right, and Dante Nori celebrate after Hettiger's two-run home run during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Clearwater. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Italy's Dante Nori, right, celebrates after hitting a home run against Brazil during the seventh inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)