Inside The Star
The Dallas Cowboys return from their bye week with more urgency (and more firepower) than they’ve had at any point this season.
After a rocky 3-5-1 start, the front office and coaching staff made their intentions clear: fix the defense, or the season ends early.
Dallas was aggressive at the trade deadline, acquiring All-Pro DT Quinnen Williams and tackling machine Logan Wilson to patch up a porous unit.
The team also welcomes back three key contributors from injured reserve, (DeMarvion Overshown, Shavon Revel, and Malik Hooker) each bringing athleticism and playmaking ability that has been sorely missed.
With all those reinforcements, this matchup against the 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders feels like an opportunity for the Cowboys to finally look like the team they hoped to be in 2025.
With that in mind, here are three bold, yet still plausible, predictions for Monday Night Football.
Bold prediction number one is simple: Dallas keeps the Raiders below 20 points.
It’s bold because the Cowboys haven’t held a single opponent under 20 all season. Not once.
If there’s a game where the script can flip, this is it. The Cowboys’ defensive front is no longer the liability it was in September and October.
With Williams and Wilson joining Kenny Clark, Osa Odighizuwa, and Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dallas suddenly has size, range, and disruption at every level.
Add in the return of Overshown, whose speed instantly changes the second level, and a healthier secondary with Revel and Hooker back in uniform, and the Cowboys finally have the personnel to dictate a game defensively.
Against a struggling Raiders offense that has lacked identity and consistency, this is the moment for Dallas to assert itself.
Holding Vegas under 20 would be a season-best performance and a statement that the defense is turning the corner.
Prediction number two focuses on the biggest name Dallas acquired: Quinnen Williams. The bold call? Williams racks up two sacks on Monday night.
That may not sound extreme on the surface, but considering Williams has just one sack this entire season, dating all the way back to Week 1 against Pittsburgh, it’s a hefty projection.
This environment is tailor-made for him to break out. For the first time in 2025, Williams is surrounded by legitimate trench help, meaning far fewer double-teams.
With the Cowboys projected to play with a lead, the Raiders will likely be forced into passing situations in the second half.
That’s when Williams thrives.
If he ever needed the perfect conditions for a multi-sack performance, this game provides them.
My final bold prediction turns to the offensive side: both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens go over 100 yards receiving.
It hasn’t happened once this season, but after a much-needed bye week, this offense should be sharper than it’s been in months.
Dak Prescott has had time to reset, the protection should be better, and the game plan figures to lean heavily on attacking a...
