Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys are back in the win column for the first time in over three calendar weeks, the majority of which were difficult and emotional for the now 4-5-1 team that snapped a two-game losing streak on Monday night in Las Vegas. The Cowboys beat the Raiders 33-16 in their first game since the passing of Marshawn Kneeland, earning their first primetime win of 2025 in the process.
The Cowboys needed this game in the worst way before entering a much tougher stretch of games, and emotionally played like a team that wasn’t going to drop a third straight to the two-win Raiders. Dallas playing off the bye looked poised and prepared for the better part of all 60 minutes in Las Vegas, even with their two top wide receivers not seeing the field on the opening drive which quickly ended in a Cowboys three and out. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens would make the absolute best of their playing time from that point on, with both catching a touchdown.
Defensively, the Cowboys looked sound on all three levels, with new players in the lineup on all three as well. Quinnen Williams debuted at defensive tackle and had 1.5 sacks and five QB hits. Demarvion Overshown played for the first time since week 14 of last season at linebacker. Rookie Shavon Revel and veteran Malik Hooker made plays on the backend from their cornerback and safety spots.
This win alone does not put the Cowboys fully back in the NFC playoff picture, but in true Las Vegas fashion, they played their cards right to earn another hand at the table next week at home versus the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys finding the right mix of lineup changes and self-scouting points they could correct over the bye will carry over into this pivotal rematch with the Eagles, as they worked through a lot of them at the Raiders and stayed in control of the game nearly all night.
Here are our full notes on a win for Brian Schottenheimer in a big spot against his former mentor Pete Carroll.
One of the questions that Cowboys fans were most eager to have answered in this game was how Matt Eberflus’ defense would look at linebacker. It’s no secret the Cowboys have struggled here, and with the amount of zone Eberflus is insistent on playing, poor play at linebacker paired with a lack of pass rush has been the biggest reason for constant defensive letdowns. In the recent losses to Denver and Arizona, Kenneth Murray and Shemar James were mostly the faces of the Cowboys deficiencies on the second level of their defense.
The additions of both Overshown and the trade chip Logan Wilson from the Bengals was initially believed to be one way to spell both Murray and James, but that is not at all how things played out against the Raiders. Eberflus kept the true answer to this burning question left unanswered for at least another week, but at the...
