Todd Archer
Ryan McFadden
Ryan McFadden
Ryan McFadden covers the Las Vegas Raiders for ESPN’s NFL Nation. Prior to ESPN, McFadden was a Denver Broncos beat reporter for the Denver Post. McFadden also wrote about the Baltimore Ravens and University of Maryland athletics for The Baltimore Sun.
LAS VEGAS — The Dallas Cowboys promised to honor the memory of late teammate Marshawn Kneeland with how hard they played Monday night. They did so with a convincing 33-16 win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes to four different pass catchers — George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson and Ryan Flournoy – and a defense that incorporated newcomers Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson and welcomed the return of DeMarvion Overshown did not allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
By that time, the offense had scored on five straight possessions to build a 31-9 lead.
Kneeland was not far from the Cowboys’ minds. The team wore a blue decal with a No. 94 on their helmets. In pregame warmups, they wore T-shirts featuring his likeness. During the game, Kneeland’s jersey was hung behind the Cowboys’ bench.
One win does not erase the pain of losing a teammate, but for one night, the Cowboys could smile again.
Here’s what to know from “Monday Night Football” for both teams:
Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1)
What to make of the QB performance: Prescott continues to climb to the top of the Cowboys’ record book. Already the team leader in completions and completion percentage, he now has the most games with at least three touchdown passes in franchise history. His 37-yard pass to Pickens in the second quarter was his third Monday, giving him 41 such games for his career. Tony Romo had 40, and Danny White is third with 20. Since Prescott entered the league in 2016, only the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (46) has more three-TD games. Prescott is inching closer to Romo in career touchdown passes as well. He has 234 to Romo’s 247.
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Trend to watch: Williams had one sack in his first eight games of the season with the New York Jets, back in Week 1. He ended his career-long streak of games without a sack (seven) in the first half of his first game with the Cowboys. Actually, in the first four series, he had 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. He added a fifth QB hit on the final drive of the half. This was Williams’ first game since Oct. 26 because he was coming off the bye with the Jets at the trade deadline and the Cowboys had their bye after acquiring him. The Cowboys hope more comfort within their scheme will lead to more sacks, hits and QB pressures.
Stat to know: Lamb and Pickens did not start the game because of a coach’s decision. But they effectively finished the Raiders. In the first half, they combined for nine catches, 156 yards and two touchdowns. It was their second-most combined yards in a first half this season (182 vs. Washington in Week 7). Pickens had 101 yards and a 37-yard score. It was his third game with 100 yards and a touchdown this season. He had four such games in his first three seasons in Pittsburgh. Lamb had an 18-yard touchdown and 55 yards in the first half and also drew a flag for pass interference. — Todd Archer
Next game: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET, Nov. 23)
Las Vegas Raiders (2-8)
With the Raiders down two starters on their offensive line because of ankle injuries (left tackle Kolton Miller and right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson), they were at a major disadvantage in the trenches, and it showed throughout the night.
The group of backup left tackle Stone Forsythe, left guard Dylan Parham, backup center Will Putnam, right guard Jordan Meredith and right tackle DJ Glaze barely gave quarterback Geno Smith any time to work within the pocket. The 35-year-old signal-caller was sacked four times by Dallas.
Smith was under pressure on 41% of his drop-backs in the first half, and he went 3-of-9 for 23 yards. The Raiders’ offensive line struggles also made it hard for them to establish their run game. Las Vegas finished the game with 27 rushing yards on 12 attempts.
The offensive line’s performance should raise concern ahead of Las Vegas’ matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett has been one of the best defensive players in the league, totaling 15 sacks, including four in Cleveland’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Most surprising performance: Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty was hardly used in the run game. Jeanty had two carries for 10 yards in the first half. He had an 11-yard carry at the 13:29 mark of the second quarter and didn’t receive a handoff for the rest of the quarter. Entering the game, the Cowboys’ defense ranked 27th in yards per carry (4.8).
Stat to know: In the first half, the Raiders used play-action on 40.6% of Smith’s drop-backs. Smith was 7-of-12 for 124 yards and an interception on such throws. Las Vegas entered Week 11 using play-action on just 26.6% of Smith’s dropbacks.
Trend to watch: The Raiders started Kyu Blu Kelly at cornerback after he had two interceptions last week against Denver. But against Dallas, he was outmatched. Kelly gave up six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown on six targets in 27 coverage snaps. Kelly has struggled, and with the team sitting at 2-8, it will be interesting to see whether the Raiders move to rookie third-rounder Darien Porter for the rest of the season. — Ryan McFadden
Next game: vs. Cleveland Browns (4:05 p.m. ET, Nov. 23)
