After an emotional bye week that tested the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys, the team put together its strongest start-to-finish effort on Monday night with a commanding 33-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Dak Prescott had one of his best performances all season behind the help of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb on his way to hurling four touchdowns. Defensively, the Cowboys allowed just one Raiders touchdown, as they debuted new pieces such as defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.
There were a lot of positives to take from the effort, as the Cowboys start the post-bye stretch with a needed win.
Here are five takeaways from the victory:
Cowboys use emotions as fuel in win
It couldn’t have been an easy week of preparation, as the Cowboys continue to grieve the loss of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. But they controlled Monday’s game from start to finish for arguably their most dominant win of the season.
With head coach Brian Schottenheimer wearing the tribute shirt that the team wore in pregame warmups and Kneeland’s No. 94 jersey hanging behind the bench, the Cowboys did just what they said during the week when they aimed to take Kneeland’s play style and motor to the field as a unit.
It worked on both sides of the ball, as the clear physicality advantage was with the visiting sideline throughout the night.
George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb respond to accountability
In a game that already had a lot of storylines, a fascinating one got thrown into the mix when wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were benched to start the game in favor of Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Tolbert. It was the only time the Cowboys went three-and-out in the game.
Shortly after the drive, a team official said that it was related to a disciplinary issue, citing that the duo “missed some things” that forced them to the bench.
Pickens quickly answered with three receptions for 55 yards in the first quarter, and Lamb got in on the action with the game’s first touchdown to open the second quarter.
The duo answered to the accountability challenge from Schottenheimer and helped power the Cowboys’ offense to a commanding effort. Pickens finished with 144 yards while Lamb added 66 of his own, with each player accounting for a touchdown.
Quinnen Williams shines in debut
It’s clear why owner Jerry Jones salivated at the thought of adding defensive tackle Quinnen Williams over the course of the past four months.
In his team debut, Williams pressured Raiders quarterback Geno Smith numerous times and got home for 1.5 sacks. In the run game, he helped assist a defensive line unit that allowed just 28 rushing yards.
While there were a lot of defensive additions in this game outside of Williams, it’s clear that his impact was felt on the unit’s way to allowing its fewest points and total yards all season. He also added four tackles in his first action as a Cowboy.
Red zone emphasis pays off
After the team’s bad loss to the Arizona Cardinals before the bye week, Schottenheimer and Prescott talked about how the team’s inefficiencies on both sides of the ball in the red zone had to be a priority during the bye.
Well, it paid off. The offense scored touchdowns on three of its four trips to the red area, and the defense allowed just one touchdown on Las Vegas’ four trips inside the 20-yard line.
Call that a win in an area where improvement was much needed going into the break.
Dak Prescott knocking on the door of history
After a two-game stretch going into the bye that saw the first-team offense average just 13.5 points per game and Prescott throw for just 438 yards and one touchdown, the first-team unit responded with a sound passing attack that saw Prescott finish with 268 yards and four touchdowns.
With his yardage total, Prescott sits just 179 yards from becoming the franchise’s all-time leading passer. But if you ask Prescott, he is prouder of the offense getting back on track with a gauntlet of opponents — the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions — upcoming.