Dallas Cowboys Rebound on Road with Convincing Win Over Las Vegas Raiders

The Dallas Cowboys, coming off of their bye week, recovered from their 27-17 Monday Night Football loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9 to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 33-16 at Allegiant Stadium on Monday night. 

The Cowboys turned in an impressive performance on both sides of the ball, probably their most complete performance of the season. 

The team got off to a slow start, inexplicably having star wideouts CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the sideline to start the game on their first drive. The Raiders held a 6-3 lead after one quarter of play, but the Cowboys broke things open in the second quarter though, outscoring the Raiders 21-3 in the frame thanks to touchdown receptions from Lamb (18 yards), Jake Ferguson (5 yards) and Pickens (37 yards). Pickens looked good all night, taking advantage of single coverage and running great after the catch. On one play, a lofted ball in the corner of the end zone resulted in a Pickens falling one-handed grab, but he was out of bounds. Highlight play nonetheless. 

Dak Prescott, who completed 13/19 yards for 185 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, finished the game 25/33 for 268 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, Javonte Williams ran 22 times for 93 yards. Pickens caught nine balls for 144 yards and a touchdown, while Lamb caught five for 66 with his touchdown. The last Cowboy to register at least the 144 yards that Pickens did in a Monday Night game was Terry Glenn, who tallied 157 receiving yards vs. Washington in 2005, per ESPN research. Also, four different players caught a receiving touchdown on Monday Night (Ryan Flournoy caught the other), which was one shy of the team record of five that was set in 2021, also vs. Washington. Though the Cowboy offensive line performed well in the run game, Maxx Crosby did record the Raiders’ only sack of the night and was troublesome all game for the Cowboys, in particular for tackle Terence Steele. 

The new look Cowboys’ defense with trade deadline acquisitions Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson and injury returnees Demarvion Overshown, Malik Hooker, and Shavon Revel, played its best game of the season. The linebacker Overshown played 31 snaps and looked good, making a nice tackle near the sideline on Ashton Jeanty that resulted in a minimal gain. Williams and the defensive front were outstanding. 

The former New York Jet and new Cowboy registered 1.5 sacks, five quarterback hits, and three pressures, consistently getting up field and either pressuring Raider quarterback Geno Smith to throw early or scramble out of the pocket. Kenny Clark benefited from Williams’ presence with 0.5 sacks, while defensive end Justin Houston and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa tallied one sack apiece. Nine different Cowboys recorded at least one pressure on the night, as the unit as a whole pressured Smith on 33% of dropbacks (16 out of 49). Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku registered a safety in the fourth quarter. The rookie out of Boston College has improved every week for the Cowboys. Jadeveon Clowney also made an impressive play in the game, chasing down a scrambling Smith on the left side of the field. 

Smith was the Raiders’ leading rusher in the game, with 14 yards on four carries. The rookie Jeanty was held to 7 yards on six carries, as he found it difficult to find holes to run through on the night, partly due of course to the Cowboys’ front but also due to the Raiders’ poor offensive line. Jeanty, who attended Lone Star High School in nearby Frisco, Texas, has totaled 554 yards on four touchdowns this season, with an average of just 3.7 yards per carry. 

Cowboys’ cornerback DaRon Bland played a strong game, tackling well (6 solo). Markquise Bell registered an interception of Smith, who was 27/42 for 238 yards with one touchdown and the Bell interception. Smith’s lone touchdown was to Tre Tucker (four catches, 47 yards). Star tight end Brock Bowers, as he is for a lot of teams, was an issue for the Cowboys, catching seven passes for 72 yards. 

The Cowboys, who tallied 381 total yards to the Raiders’ 236, improved to 4-5-1 on the season and got a much needed victory as their schedule begins to get difficult. The team has a home date with the Eagles (Nov. 23 at 4:25 p.m.), and then are home on Thanksgiving against the Kansas City Chiefs before going on the road at the Detroit Lions on Dec. 4 on Thursday Night Football. The Cowboys then host the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 14 on Sunday Night Football, and host the Los Angeles Chargers at 1 p.m. on Dec. 21 before visiting the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day, a 1 p.m. start on Netflix. 

Monday Night was a crucial win for a team that made trade deadline deals with playoff aspirations in mind. Granted, the 17-point victory was against a now 2-8 team (and the Cowboys are still behind the proverbial 8-ball at 4-5-1) but the defense still looked impressive, including their new editions. The offense, though it did put up points, sputtered at times as they should have taken a big lead early in the game. Still though, if you are the Cowboys, you will take the victory. 

The road only gets tougher from here.