Cowboys win 11th straight
Dez Bryant caught four passes for 84 yards and the go- ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, helping the Cowboys win their 11th straight game with a 17- 15 victory over the host Vikings on Thursday.
Bryant’s 56- yard catch in the second quarter set up Ezekiel Elliott’s one- yard plunge. The receiver caught an eightyard scoring pass in the fourth quarter after a fumbled punt by the Vikings’ Adam Thielen.
Elliott rushed for 86 yards on 20 carries for the Cowboys ( 11- 1), who have the longest single- season winning streak in franchise history.
Sam Bradford threw a three- yard touchdown pass to Jerick McKinnon with 25 seconds to play, but the twopoint conversion pass failed. Bradford argued for a penalty after he was hit in the face by a defender, but there was no call. The Vikings ( 6- 6) played without coach Mike Zimmer after he had emergency eye surgery Wednesday night.
Vikings special- teams coordinator Mike Priefer was elevated to coach for the game, and it remains unclear how long Zimmer will be out.
Dak Prescott was 12- for- 18 for 139 yards passing for the Cowboys.
Bradford completed 32 of 45 passes for 247 yards, Danielle Hunter had two sacks and Kai Forbath kicked three field goals for the Vikings, who have lost six of their last seven games after a 5- 0 start.
Gronkowski to have back surgery
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will undergo back surgery Friday and is expected to miss two months, according to ESPN. The injury is believed to have occurred during the Patriots’ loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 13, in which Gronkowski said he received “probably one of the hardest I’ve got hit in my career” from safety Earl Thomas.
Ex- USC, Jets RB McKnight killed
Former USC Trojans and Jets running back Joe McKnight, 28, was shot to death in an apparent road- rage incident outside New Orleans on Thursday. McKnight played three seasons for the Jets and one with the Chiefs. He spent this season in the Canadian Football League, playing two games for the Edmonton Eskimos and three for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
NFL to hire 17 full- time officials
NFL executive Troy Vincent said he expects the league to hire up to 17 fulltime officials for the start of next season. The additions are allowed under the collective- bargaining agreement and would increase the size of officiating crews from seven to eight, Vincent said.
Watkins still has broken bone in foot
Bills receiver Sammy Watkins returned to practice, but is still dealing with a broken bone in his left foot. Sun- Times wires