Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys got positive contributions in all three phases against the Raiders.
The Cowboys had a catharsis of sorts, getting every phase of their team working in unison and earning a 33-16 victory.
Quarterback Dak Prescott threw for four touchdowns including one to George Pickens who caught nine passes for 144 yards. Meanwhile WIlliams turned in a 1.5 sack, 1 TFL performance in his Cowboys debut. The defense had four sacks on the night as they held the Raiders to just one touchdown drive and got on the scoreboard with a safety by rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The victory improves Dallas to 4-5-1 on the year as they return home to host the world champion and NFC-best 8-2 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.
This game got off to a weird start on offense, as the Cowboys went three and out without CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens on the field the first series.
The ESPN broadcast showed the team’s top two offensive weapons on the sideline as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman speculated what was going on. After the Cowboys went three and out it was reported by Lisa Salters that Lamb and Pickens were absent from the possession not for any sort of injury reason, but a “coach’s decision” which sparked all sorts of intrigue.
It appeared as if Lamb and Pickens were being punished for something, but the exact reasoning is obviously unknown at this time.
Both Lamb and Pickens were on the field to start the second possession of the game for the Cowboys so their punishment was a short one.
Whether it was the early discipline or just taking advantage of a bad Raiders defense, the Cowboys pass offense didn’t take long to get going.
Dak Prescott
His yardage won’t blow you away, but his efficiency might, as should his effort in battling through early pressure allowed by the offensive line to toss four touchdowns on the evening and owning a passer rating of 145.2 as the game neared its conclusion. Prescott’s 18-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb at the top of the second quarter rewarded the defense for James Houston’s sack against Geno Smith to give the Cowboys a 10-6 lead, and he then used both Lamb and George Pickens to beat the Raiders into submission for much of the contest thereafter.
CeeDee Lamb + George Pickens
That was by far not the only highlight delivered by Lamb in this game, several big gainers reeled in and despite taking a hit or two doing so. And when it wasn’t Lamb getting the best of the Raiders, it was Pickens, the latter...
