Raiders beat Cowboys 36-33 in OT on Thanksgiving
Raiders fans, we are happy to report that the Raiders have finally broken their 3 game losing streak.
On Thursday, November 25, the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Dallas Cowboys, 36-33 in overtime at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Even though the game was sloppy in terms of penalties, both teams were agitated by the amount of flags being thrown. The Raiders had 14 penalties for 110-yards, while the Cowboys had 14 penalties, but for 166-yards.
After the game, both coaches voiced their frustrations about the officiating crew.
First Half
On the Raiders first drive of the game, Quarterback Derek Carr threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson. Kicker Daniel Carlson’s extra point gave the Raiders an early 7-0 lead.
On 2nd down and 5 from the Raiders 10-yard line, Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sean McKeon. Greg Zuerlein missed an extra point. Score at 7-6 Raiders.
After both teams punted, the Raiders scored another touchdown on a one-yard run by Running Back Josh Jacobs, increasing the lead to 14-6 after one quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Las Vegas drove down to the Cowboys 4-yard line. They were held to a field goal. The Raiders led 17-6. The Cowboys had a chance to answer right back, but Zuerlein missed a 59-yard field hitting the left upright.
The Cowboys answered right back before halftime. Running Back Ezekiel Elliot scored on a short touchdown and the Raiders led 17-13 heading into the locker room.
Halftime Show
Every year during the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game, a celebrity singer performs in front of a sold-out crowd at AT&T Stadium, much like the Raiders do for every home game at Allegiant Stadium. This year, country superstar Luke Combs was the halftime act. He wowed fans with a memorable performance.
Combs is a household name in the country music business, alongside other stars like Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood. All four of them have gone onto being big household names with many popular hits and selling numerous albums.
Second Half
After both teams punted to start the third-quarter, the Raiders got the ball back and backup Quarterback Marcus Mariota ran it in for a three-yard touchdown. That gave the Raiders a 24-13 lead.
The Cowboys’ special teams made a spectacular play as dual Running Back Tony Pollard took the ball to the house for a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Cowboys missed a two-point conversion. The lead for the Raiders was now 24-19.
With 3:28 left in the third-quarter, the Raiders added another field goal from Carlson. The Raiders were up 27-19 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys began the fourth-quarter with a drive down to the Raiders 11 yard-line. They only managed another field goal by Zuerlein, cutting the deficit to 27-22. Another field goal by Carlson increased the lead to 30-22. There was still time for the Cowboys to score a touchdown and tie the game by going for a two-point conversion.
With 3:41 left in the game, Prescott and the Cowboys needed a fast paced no huddle drive. They needed to score a quick touchdown and then go for a two-point conversion. They were successful as Prescott hit Dalton Schultz wide open for a 32-yard touchdown to make it a 30-28 game. Schultz would then haul in the two-point try from Prescott and the game was tied at 30-30 late in the fourth-quarter.
Carlson then made another field goal, giving the Raiders a 33-30 lead with 1:52 left in the game.
Needing at least a field goal to tie the game and potentially send it into overtime, Dallas drove the ball down to the Vegas 19-yard line. With 0:19 left, Zuerlein hit a clutch field goal to tie the game at 33-33. The Raiders took a knee to go to overtime.
Overtime
The Cowboys received the ball first to start overtime but punted it away. The Raiders had a chance to win the game with either a field goal or a touchdown. They drove the ball down in position for Carlson to win the game, but initially missed the field goal.
The Cowboys lined up in the neutral zone, which gave the Raiders another chance to win it. The kick was good! The Raiders walked out of Arlington, TX ending their three-game losing streak and improving their record to 6-5.
Thoughts
The Raiders came into the game needing a major win to not only break their losing streak, but to get back into the league and into the AFC playoff picture. Derek Carr and the offense did a great job scoring touchdowns early and keeping the Cowboys’ offense off the field for most of the second quarter.
They did benefit off of four pass interference penalties called against Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown and Kicker Greg Zuerlein, who missed some key kicks that could have made a difference in the game. He is very inconsistent and it might be time for owner Jerry Jones to find a new kicker heading into postseason play.
Next Game
The Raiders (6-5) will look to build off this game and use it as momentum for next week’s meeting at home against the Washington Football Team (4-6). They are suddenly starting to make a run for the NFC East Title. The Raiders will need to run the table to win the very tight AFC West Division currently led by the Kansas City Chiefs (7-4). A win vs Washington is an important first step.