Tag: Dallas Cowboys vs Las Vegas Raiders

WATCH: Cowboys’ Kelvin Joseph, Raiders’ Teamer ejected for fighting

The Cowboys and Raiders enjoyed a dustup after a punt and two key figures were sent to the showers.

The Dallas Cowboys have had to fight the referees and the Raiders all day long, but coming out of the half they had to actually fight.  After a three-and-out forced Las Vegas to punt, the kick sailed out of bounds after bouncing right inside the sideline. Play over, right? Wrong.

Special teameers Kelvin Joseph and Roderic Teamer got tangled up and kept tussling past the bench and into a rail. Before long, both teams were involved in a scrum off the side of the field. When the dust settled, both of the key combatants were called for unsportsmanlike conduct and had been tossed from the game.

During the scrum, field judge Tom Hill was hit on the face, causing a small cut on his chin. On replay it appeared that Joseph was on the receiving end of the aggression and was defending himself, but it doesn’t matter his day is over.

[lawrence-related id=686795][vertical-gallery id=686773][lawrence-newsletter]

WATCH: Cowboys’ Sean McKeon scores first career TD to pull close

After a rough start, Dallas matched the Raiders early touchdown with one of their own.

The start of the game is exactly what the doctor didn’t order. The Cowboys pulled out the old run-run-pass-short-of-the-sticks for a three and out on the opening possession. After a big punt return by Hunter Renfrow, Derek Carr found Desean Jackson, yes that Desean Jackson, for a 56-yard catch and run score.

But the malaise from Week 11 would go no further. Quarterback Dak Prescott led a phenomenal response drive, finding a slew of backup pass catchers to help things out. First it was Noah Brown, then it was a play where he showed elite patience until Cedrick Wilson came free. Finally, Prescott found backup tight end Sean McKeon for the score.

Dallas missed the extra point and trails 7-6 in the first quarter.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb ruled out vs Raiders

The Cowboys top wideout will miss his first game of the season after being unable to clear concussion protocol just four days after banging his head. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys spread hope in every which way imaginable this past week, trying as they often do to will things they want into existence. It rarely works, and it didn’t this time either. Wideout CeeDee Lamb suffered a concussion at the end of the first half against Kansas City on Sunday, crashing the back of his head into the ground on an underthrown Dak Prescott pass that was intercepted by Chavarius Ward.

Lamb, who leads the club in targets (77), receptions (50) and his career-high six receiving scores, never returned to action after halftime and went through the concussion protocol. He cleared everything but the final examination with an independent neurologist and has been ruled out of Thursday’s contest with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.

This of course compounds the problem as Dallas’ offense is already without WR Amari Cooper, missing his second consecutive game on the COVID reserve list. The offense did not have a great game last week even before Lamb was lost and it seemed in part to the additional focus Chiefs defenders were able to pay everyone else with no Cooper. Now the Raiders have neither of the top two wideouts to contend with.

That puts a lot of pressure on Michael Gallup, TE Dalton Schultz and the reserve receivers to step up in the contest. Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown each dropped two passes last week and the club failed to integrate Malik Turner into the contest until late. Dallas may also be wise to give Tony Pollard a bigger role as one of the quickest, shiftiest players on the team.

Ezekiel Elliott has been hobbled with a knee issue for several weeks though he continues to tough it out and show up every week.

Prescott will have his work cut out for him in trying to solve the Raiders defense and avoid a third loss in four games for a team that started the season winning seven of eight.

Dallas will welcome back Tyron Smith for the first time in four games, but playing without their top two wideouts along with their top two edge rushers in DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory makes for very tough going.

[vertical-gallery id=686773][lawrence-newsletter]

QTNA: Can Raiders’ offense, Waller, present Cowboys problems sans Ruggs?

How will the Cowboys deal with Waller? What can the Raiders’ D do to slow down Dallas’ offense and does the AFC West have a cheat code?

The Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders both have offense problems. Over the last three games, the teams have only combined to surpass 20 points once, leading to a combined 1-5 record. The circumstances as to the malaise are decidedly different, however. The Raiders have lost their head coach and their big deep threat forever. Dallas is dealing with temporary absences due to COVID and injury.

On the opposite side of the line of scrimmage sit defenses charged with continuing the negative trends for the guys with the ball. How will it all shake out? We tapped Raiders Wire managing editor (and rumored Cowboys fan) Marcus Mosher to have a quick chat behind enemy lines about Thursday’s big game. As Dallas looks for their eighth win on the season and avoid a bona fide slump, here’s what to expect.

Toxicity aside, Cowboys enjoy advanced stat edge over Raiders in Week 12

Who’s more toxic? That team from the desert might have a chance when it comes to the big play, but does Dallas win out overall? | From @ProfessorO_NFL

The Dallas Cowboys will host the Las Vegas Raiders Thursday afternoon as part of their annual NFL Thanksgiving showcase. The Cowboys all-time record on Thanksgiving sits at 31-21-1. Recent Thanksgiving games haven’t gone well for Dallas, with their last win happening in 2018 against the Washington Football Team.  The Cowboys and Raiders have played two times on Thanksgiving, 2009 and 2013, with Dallas winning both times.

The Cowboys enter this week with a 7-3 record after falling to the Kansas Chiefs in a 19-9 game that saw the offense struggle to move the ball consistently.  This will be the fourth and final game against the AFC West division, with the Cowboys currently holding a 1-2 record with a strong road win against the Los Angeles Chargers and two ugly losses against the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.  The Cowboys are looking for their eighth win of the season and a winning record against the AFC, after beating New England in Week 6.

Quarterback Dak Prescott will be without one of his top weapons again with Amari Cooper missing his second game due to COVID-19.  They may be without CeeDee Lamb as well after Lamb suffered a concussion on Sunday against the Chiefs.

The Raiders will travel to Dallas with a 5-5 record on the season and a three-game losing streak. Adversity has been the keyword to the Raiders season after firing their Head Coach Jon Gruden and then their two first round picks (Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette) from the 2020 draft due to off the field issues. Their offense has had difficulty scoring points as of late, averaging 14 points per game over the last three weeks.

The Cowboys and Raiders all-time record is squared up at 6-6.

Let’s open up the Advanced Stat Notebook to see how both teams have performed this season using advanced analytics. Here’s a review of four key metrics to see if DVOA, ANY/A, Toxicity and EPA give the Cowboys reasons to feel confident about picking up win No. 8 on the season.

Elliott will play through knee pain to boost Cowboys’ rush attack: ‘We’re a better football team when we can run it’

Elliott logged fewer than 10 carries for just the second time in his career Sunday. He’s eager to get the run game “back on track” vs Vegas. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The last time Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott didn’t log double-digit carries in a game was Week 2… of the 2017 season. In fact, prior to Sunday’s nine-attempt outing versus Kansas City, that was the only contest of Elliott’s pro career in which he was active but had fewer than 10 rushes.

On a day when the entire Cowboys offense was stuck in neutral, the Dallas ground attack was abandoned early. Ignoring Tony Pollard’s 31-yard direct-snap scamper (the longest play of the game) as an anomaly, the Cowboys rushing tandem averaged 3.4 yards on their other 15 combined totes.

It might be easy to think back on the scenes of Elliott limping around after being dragged down awkwardly by Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay as the reason for a lightened workload, but Elliott played through the rest of the game. And he says he’ll do so again on Thursday when the Raiders come to town.

“I mean, my knee,” Elliott sighed to reporters at The Star on Tuesday. “It’s all right. I mean, it’s sore. But it’s been sore. I would say it doesn’t feel any different than it did this time last week.”

Despite sitting seventh leaguewide in rushing yards, Elliott hasn’t had a statistically dominant 2021. He’s had just two games of over 100 yards, the only two games where he carried 20 times or more.

The two-time rushing champ admits he’s been banged up this year, even though he’s always able to recover enough in time to play again the next game.

“I’d say it’s gotten better,” Elliott said of his knee. “Obviously, if I land on it or I get twisted up and tangled, I’m going to get some pain there. But it’s more temporary pain. It’s kind of like how you stub your toe and you’ve got to walk it off. That’s kind of what it’s like.”

Head coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday that he expected Elliott to once again rally in time for game day.

“I think he will,” the coach said, then adding a disclaimer. “You’ve got to remember, when I ask the players, it’s, ‘I’m fine. I’ll go.’ So the conversation with the trainers… I have no reason to think he won’t go.”

Elliott was seen putting in some work with the Cowboys’ director of rehabilitation before Tuesday’s practice session.

“I warm up with Britt [Brown],” Elliott pointed out. “I’m going to continue to get my treatments, go see my PT, just do what I can to get it ready for the game.”

“It’s football,” Elliott added. “You get hurt, you’re not going to be 100 percent. I’m tough. I can play through it.”

As for getting the run game going again, McCarthy didn’t seem overly worried about the team’s recent downward trend, but admitted that the balance isn’t where he would like.

“You look at the productivity of our offense, when the ball is distributed between rushes and completions, we’re a juggernaut,” McCarthy explained. “We didn’t get the ball distributed [against Kansas City]. And part of that is: we normally run the ball 30-plus times. When our numbers are at its best, that’s part of the equation. But, hey, it’s different when you’re in the game and you’re calling it, how you handle certain things that go on throughout the game. A little more efficiency on first and second down, particularly, would’ve been beneficial. But we’ll get back at it this week against the Raiders.”

Elliott was well aware that the team’s slow start across the board may have necessitated more passing in Week 11 and hopes the offense will be able to find early success on Thanksgiving Day. The Raiders defense is tied for fourth-worst in the NFL in terms of average yards allowed per rush.

“I understand as the game went along why we got away from the run game,”  Elliott said, “but I think running the football has to be important to us. I think it helps this offense. I think we’re a better football team when we can run it well.”

It’s not scheme. It’s not a matter of which offensive linemen are playing or not. And it’s certainly not about Elliott’s knee, to hear him tell it.

“We’ve just got to go out there and execute better in the run game. I think it’s that simple,” Elliott said.

“I just think we’ve got to kind of lock back in and get it going.”

[listicle id=686706]

[listicle id=686637]

[listicle id=686708]

[lawrence-newsletter]

How to watch, wager, live stream, listen to Cowboys-Raiders in Week 12

Here’s what you need to know going into the Cowboys-Raiders matchup. A game preview, Ref assignment, TV coverage and streaming info. | From @CDPiglet

The Dallas Cowboys faceoff against the Kansas City Chiefs was the most anticlimactic game of the season. Instead of a redo of the 2018 Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams 51-54 match up, the fans got a stinker. The score ended up 19-9 in favor of Kansas City, but the game wasn’t even that competitive.

Scoting only three field goals, the Cowboys offense was made to punt six times, five of them being on 3-and-out drives. They also turned the ball over three times: two interceptions and a lost fumble.

The abysmal performance by the Cowboys offense wasted a great game from the Dallas defense. They held the Chiefs to under 20 points in Arrowhead, even with them having 13 drives to try and score. After 16 points in the first three possessions, Kansas City managed only three more in its final 10 drives.

Dallas will need to bounce back like they did after their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to start the season, and the blowout loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 9. They will be without Amari Cooper for the second straight contest, but hope to have left tackle Tyron Smith and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb back in the lineup.

The Raiders defense should be no match for a pissed off, mostly complete Dallas offense. They just gave up 23 to the woeful New York Giants, then 41 to a struggling Kansas City offense, and 32 to a Cincinnati Bengals team coming in on a two-game losing streak. If healthy this could be a “40 burger” game, but even without Tyron Smith or CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys should put up enough points.

The Raiders offense started quickly under interim coach Rich Bisaccia, putting up over 30 points the first two games, but have struggled out of the bye week. They haven’t scored more than 16 points in the last three weeks.

There is a unique situation of Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley being the former mentor to Dan Quinn from their time on the Seattle Seahawks. Quinn has switched his game up so much since then, the advantage may go to Dallas’ offense if Quinn is sharing secret tendencies of Bradley’s scheme instead.

He showed against the Chiefs he hasn’t veered from his tried and true formula, failing to alter from his Cover 3 mandate.

This stretch of 3 games in 12 days is the toughest for the Cowboys, and after a bad start, the team needs to step up and show the league who they are by bouncing back and winning a home game versus a 5-5 Las Vegas team.

Here is how to watch, listen, and bet on the Thanksgiving Day traditional Dallas Cowboys game.

 

Stephen Jones: Cowboys ‘feel really good’ about getting Tyron Smith back vs Raiders

The left tackle was a Sunday scratch versus Kansas City, with the Cowboys planning to bring him back Thanksgiving Day against the Raiders. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The news looked promising for Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith to suit up and start against Kansas City on Sunday… right up until it didn’t. After being limited in practice during the week and participating in the team’s Friday mock game, head coach Mike McCarthy was “hopeful” that the seven-time Pro Bowler would have a solid practice session on Saturday and be declared fit for play Sunday.

But in the early-morning hours on gameday, reports surfaced that Smith would be inactive for a third straight game thanks to a bone spur issue in his ankle.

Start the news cycle over again. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones announced Monday on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan that, “we feel really good about him playing this week.”

Although the team did not practice Monday, the Cowboys issued an injury report, estimating players’ statuses as if they had. Smith was listed as “limited.”

Of the late decision to sit Smith in Week 11, Jones said, “It’s just, you know, the full body of work there. [Cowboys associate athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation] Britt Brown, who I think is one of the best in the business at getting these guys ready to play, and Tyron, and working through it with him, we just didn’t feel like he was quite ready to go yet and didn’t want to have one of those things where we got him out there and he had to start over again.”

Jones also acknowledged that the Cowboys’ short week before hosting Las Vegas on Thursday played into the decision to not push Smith’s ankle too far, with the club then heading into a span of three games in 12 days. Four divisional games and a tilt against Arizona that could have postseason-bye implications follow that to close out the regular schedule.

“I think it’s the full body of work,” Jones reiterated. “You put everything into the equation and you make the decision. But I think the bigger decision right there was how he felt leading up to the game. We really felt like we needed to get him some practice in. He got a little bit in, but not a lot. He was still feeling it to some degree, and you have to take note of that. Certainly, we’ve got to do everything we think is in our best interest for the entirety of the season, and I don’t think this is anything that we’re going to have to manage, not unlike Dak [Prescott]. Same as Dak, we just feel like once he’s ready to roll, he’ll be ready to go. We feel like he’s ready, and barring some unforeseen setback this week, he should be ready to play this Thursday.”

Terence Steele subbed in again for Smith on Sunday; Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was sacked by the Chiefs five times. The team all but abandoned the run game, with rushers Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard combining for just 82 yards on 16 carries.

[listicle id=686535]

[listicle id=686336]

[listicle id=686335]

[lawrence-newsletter]

‘Just got to step up:’ Cowboys WRs under pressure with Cooper out, Lamb unlikely for Thursday

With Amari Cooper already out and CeeDee Lamb in concussion protocol on short turnaround, Michael Gallup & Co. know the pressure is on them. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys went into Week 11’s meeting with the defending AFC champion Chiefs knowing they’d be without wide receiver Amari Cooper, who tested positive on Friday for COVID-19. Given Cooper’s unvaccinated status and the team’s short turnaround before their Week 12 game, they also already know they’ll be without the four-time Pro Bowler on Thursday.

The team did not, however, plan on losing fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb at halftime of the 19-9 loss. Lamb suffered a head injury on an end-zone jump ball and was diagnosed with a concussion. With the Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving Day game less than four days away, it appears unlikely that Lamb will clear the league’s concussion protocol in time to play.

That means quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense will be looking to Michael Gallup and a host of depth receivers to carry the load against the Raiders… and hoping they do a better job than they did Sunday in Kansas City.

Prescott was not sharp versus the Chiefs, going 28-of-43 for 216 yards and a pair of interceptions. But his receiving corps did him no favors, either. The Cowboys pass-catchers unofficially tallied four drops on the day as they tried to make up for the absence of Cooper and the in-game loss of Lamb.

“I talked to him. He said he was fine, said he’ll be okay,” Prescott said of the team’s leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. “You’ve got to continue to move on, trust the guys we’ve got out there, and that’s what I did. He’ll be fine, so we’ll be okay.”

But with just a couple days before the Thanksgiving matchup, Lamb may not be fine in time for Thursday’s kickoff.

As NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning, “There’s been nothing firm and final, but four days is incredibly quick for someone to get through the concussion protocol. It sure seems right now” that Dallas will be without Lamb for Week 12.

“Folks have just got to step up,” said Gallup, who caught just five of his 10 targets versus the Chiefs. “That’s all on us. We’ve got to make those plays when they come to us. We just didn’t make the plays today. That’s on us. We’ll take that.”

“Whatever the coaches call,” Cedrick Wilson said after catching four of seven. “I’m ready whenever those guys can’t go. Sad to see CeeDee go down like that, and then obviously, the shock with Coop, but I’ve got to get in there for my team. Whatever they roll, I’m going in there, and I’ve got to execute.”

Wilson dropped a reverse, saying afterward he thought the play call was to be a handoff instead of a toss.

“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in them,” Gallup said of depth-chart receivers Wilson, Noah Brown, and Malik Turner. “I’ve been saying it since Day One. Those are my boys. If they need to step in, they have [done that] the whole season. That’s what we need to go do, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Cowboys had precious little time to tweak their game plan for Kansas City after the announcement late Friday that Cooper had tested positive for COVID. But head coach Mike McCarthy thought the offense would be able to adapt.

Cooper will also miss the Week 12 game since his decision to go unvaccinated mandates a 10-day quarantine.

But his teammates and coaches refuse to treat Cooper’s vaccination status as an issue, despite how the team played without him… and now will have to again.

“It’s unfortunate not having him,” Prescott admitted. “To say ‘the decision he made,’ I mean, being vaccinated, I could get it and be out two games. Let’s try not to knock the guy or put the guy down for a personal decision.”

“Frankly, those decisions are all part of this quest that we’re under,” McCarthy added in his postgame remarks. “Those things are dealt with on an individual basis.”

Missing a top threat because he turned an ankle or pulled a hamstring is one thing. Having him sit at home because he opted not to get a vaccine that nearly two-thirds of Americans have received as a matter of course does rub many, though, as being very different.

It may be a “personal decision,” but being without their top two receivers on Thanksgiving as they head into the home stretch of the regular season and try to earn the NFC’s top playoff seed is something the Cowboys will now have to deal with collectively.

“That’s my teammate, that’s my brother, we’re going to support him. That’s his decision,” Prescott said of Cooper. “Unfortunate we’re not having him, but I know he’ll come back and be beneficial for us in the late part of the season.”

[listicle id=686335]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys WR Amari Cooper’s vaccination status rules him out vs Chiefs, Raiders

Reports indicate that Cowboys WR Amari Cooper tested positive for the virus; as unvaccinated, he will now miss the team’s next two games. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys placed wide receiver Amari Cooper on the Reserve/COVID list on Friday. While his exact status for the long-term was not immediately made public, the timing of the move made him ineligible to play this Sunday versus Kansas City.

Within hours, the news got worse. Multiple outlets, including ESPN and the Dallas Morning News, cited sources in reports that Cooper is not fully vaccinated and tested positive for the virus himself. That combination of factors triggers a mandatory quarantine of ten days, ruling him out of not only Week 11’s game, but Thursday’s contest against the Las Vegas Raiders as well.

The Cowboys held their walkthrough as scheduled and will practice on Saturday before flying to Kansas City. The team has reportedly had no COVID issues with other players or staffers stemming from Cooper’s test.

The news comes as a blow to the Cowboys offense as they go into a highly-anticipated meeting of two Super Bowl contenders. Dallas had been without fellow wide receiver Michael Gallup for seven games with a calf injury; he just returned to action last week against Atlanta and will need to help shoulder the load in the passing game, along with second-year phenom CeeDee Lamb.

Cedrick Wilson should get the Week 11 start, with Noah Brown and Malik Turner also figuring to be more involved off the bench with Cooper out.

The Cowboys’ traditional Thanksgiving Day tilt against the Raiders was to be Cooper’s first time facing his former squad since being traded during the 2018 season. The four-time Pro Bowler could return in time to participate in the Week 13 game versus the Saints in New Orleans on Dec. 2 if he has no further COVID complications.

[listicle id=686065]

[listicle id=686088]

[listicle id=686033]

[lawrence-newsletter]