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          Vikings strike first in Dallas on wild one-handed grab by Kyle Rudolph

          • Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterNov 11, 2019, 01:50 AM
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              Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

          DALLAS -- Kirk Cousins once likened targeting Kyle Rudolph to "throwing into a mattress." On the Minnesota Vikings' first drive in Dallas, the quarterback tested that theory, and it resulted in the first touchdown of the game.

          The Vikings marched into the red zone behind a handful of successful short passes to Dalvin Cook and a 15-yard face mask penalty against Dallas cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. Facing second-and-goal with 9:33 to play in the first quarter, Cousins rolled out to his left and launched a jump ball off his left foot that was caught in the back of the end zone by Rudolph.

          The ninth-year tight end hauled in Cousins' pass, landing left-right-left with his feet to validate the 1-yard TD catch. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Rudolph recorded the third one-handed catch in the end zone this season, joining Eric Ebron (Week 7) and Demarcus Robinson (Week 3) as the only players to do so.

          Rudolph and Cousins connected again late in the first quarter on another 1-yard touchdown, matching Rudolph's total from the first nine games of the season. It's his fourth career game with multiple receiving touchdowns.