The Cowboys defense controlled the run with the help of the offense. In short, the Vikings running game became irrelevant as the points margins widened.
It was my belief that teams trailing in the 2nd half were a little more successful running the ball simply because the defenses were now pinning their ears back and going after the quarterback.
When I tested this theory using the data base at Pro-Reference, my theory was correct.
This season, when a team was leading by at least 7 points in the 2nd half, they were trying to eat up the clock and the defenses were desperately trying to stop them. Runners averaged 3.7 yards a carry.
On the other hand, teams that were behind by at least a touchdown wanted to pass to catch up. Defense knew this and adjusted accordingly. Therefore, when the offense did run the ball, it was with less resistance and their average was 4.8 yards a carry.
This is one of the reasons Delvin Cook had such a high yield on his carries.
