The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 33-16 at Allegiant Stadium on “Monday Night Football”, a game in which Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes and finished 25-of-33 for 268 yards as Dallas snapped a two-game slide.
However, curiously, Dallas’ star wide receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, were kept out of the Cowboys' first offensive series in what coach Brian Schottenheimer called a “coach's decision” when speaking with reporters postgame.
“It's tough. I made a coach's decision. There were some things that were missed. And so, I had a conversation with those guys, and that was easy.”
“You look at the energy those guys played with, they literally jump-started the offense when they got back in there,” Scottenheiemer added. “They didn't hang their heads, they didn't do any of that stuff, and that's why I love those guys, man. This was a great team win.”
George Pickens came back into the game with a vengeance, leading Dallas with a season-high nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown, including a 37-yard score that capped off Dallas' scoring burst to end the first half.
CeeDee Lamb returned on Dallas' second series and finished with a solid stat line as well: five catches for 66 yards and an 18-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter.
The win moved Dallas to 4-5-1 on the NFL season, keeping slim playoff hopes alive while the NFC East remains led by the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2).
The Cowboys now enter a crucial stretch that features the Eagles at home on Nov. 23, a Thanksgiving primetime game at home against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 27, and a road trip in Detroit to face the Lions on Dec. 4.
After that stretch, they return home for consecutive games against the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers, then finish the season with back-to-back road divisional matchups at the Washington Commanders and at the New York Giants.
Since both Lamb and Pickens responded with productive performances, the action to bench them was likely intended as a short-term corrective measure rather than a longer-term fracture within the locker room.
Yet, with the season hanging in the balance and every game mattering now more than ever, it’s still the last thing you want to see if you’re a Cowboys fan.
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