FRISCO, Texas — The Cowboys will look to keep their playoff hopes alive on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium.

With the Eagles 1.5 games in front of Dallas in the NFC East, the best chance for Dallas to capture the division is to win out, and have Philadelphia lose two of their final four games. That’s easier said than done, but the Cowboys get to play the first two of their final four games at home, where they’ve played much better this season.

This season, the Cowboys are 0-1-1 against opponents in the NFC North, losing to the Bears in Week 3 and tying the Packers the following week. The Vikings broke a four-game losing streak with a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders last week and are in search of their first consecutive wins this season.

Our staff weighs in on both sides and gives their predictions for how the game will play out:

Patrik: Fact is, the Cowboys are a better team at home than they are on the road. And having seen them recently take down the last two Super Bowl winners at AT&T Stadium, and in a span of only four days, I’m inclined to chalk up the loss to the Lions as their usual struggles on the road. This won’t be an easy one to try and use as a bounceback game, though. I’m willing to mostly ignore the 31-0 beatdown the Vikings gave the Commanders, because it was an aberration. That’s a team that averages less than 13 points per game in their eight losses, a putrid statistic. Defensively is where they shine, so Dak Prescott better be ready for a blitz-heavy unit led by Brian Flores that wants to speed up his clock, and to clean it, as well. If the Cowboys get out to a rare fast start and force JJ McCarthy to be a hero, the rest, I believe, will handle itself. And this game is simply too important for Dallas, so they have to show up, right? One can certainly hope so. I think if Dallas scores 27 points, they move to 7-6-1 with three left to play. 28-17, Cowboys

Tommy: I think the Cowboys have a lot of matchups in this game that heavily favor them. Offensively, Dak Prescott has been excellent this season while under pressure, and nobody in the NFL blitzes more than Brian Flores’ unit for the Vikings. Sure, Dallas will still need to ensure they can make the right checks at the line and pick up in pass protection so Prescott isn’t as hit as he has been in recent weeks, but I believe they’re capable given what they’ve shown against similar defensive looks this year. On the other side, rookie QB J.J. McCarthy has had a roller coaster start to his career, but is coming off one of his best performances yet as a pro. That said, he struggles against zone coverage, and the Cowboys run it at the fifth-highest rate in the league, giving the defense opportunites to not just get off the field but get the turnovers they’ve been looking for. The Vikings have game-changers like Justin Jefferson, who is still one of if not the best wide receiver in the NFL regardless of what statistics this year may say, but I think overall Dallas can really regain their footing in this game going into the final stretch of the season. Cowboys 35, Vikings 20

Kyle: There have been times this season where the Cowboys defense has provided a ‘get-right game’ for opposing offenses that had been struggling. The Cardinals, Giants, and Panthers games all come to mind. However, as Minnesota enters Week 15 after a vacillating regular season, they’re going up against a better defensive front than the one that surrendered those previous ‘get right’ performances. Dallas finally employs the defensive front that should be able to slow down Aaron Jones at AT&T Stadium, and the perfect quarterback in Dak Prescott to have success against Brian Flores’ blitz-happy defense. Give me the Cowboys to win this one at home, 30-23.

Nick: I think this one will be a really close game. The Vikings are one of those teams that have probably confused their fan base all year. They’ve got great wins and some terrible losses with a few other head-scratchers in between. The Cowboys fans can certainly relate and that’s why I think this one will come down to the end. Let’s not forget that both of these teams are right at the edge of elimination, but only the Cowboys have a chance to win the division, and even at that it’s a long shot. I think George Pickens has a bounce-back game and I think you’ll see the best game of the season for the linebackers. It’s gonna be a true nail-biter, but I’ll take the Cowboys, 28-27 to keep their playoff hopes alive.