Cowboys Overcome Early Deficit, Topple Raiders

DeMarco Murray’s three touchdowns helped the Cowboys past the Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders proved a worthy Thanksgiving opponent but the Dallas Cowboys did just enough to squeeze past the West Coast team and into pole position in the NFC East.

The Raiders jumped out to a 7-0 lead at AT&T Stadium as Cowboys rookie Terrance Williams, spelling the injured Dwayne Harris, coughed up the ball on the opening kickoff, allowing Greg Jenkins to return the ball 23 yards for a touchdown. The fumble was the first of three for the Cowboys but crucially the only one the team didn’t recover.

The Cowboys exacted a spot of revenge late in the quarter as Kyle Wilber recovered a Stefen Wisiewski fumble at Oakland’s two-yard line. DeMarco Murray punched the ball in on the next play for the first of three touchdowns on the night.

Oakland took control of the game in the second quarter, with Rashad Jennings scoring rushing touchdowns on consecutive drives. Jennings had 35 yards on 17 carries in the game, but was held quiet after this second quarter burst.

Having achieved nothing in the first 13 minutes of the second quarter, the Cowboys marched the length of the field in the final two minutes, punctuating the drive with Murray’s second touchdown of the game. The score, which left the Cowboys trailing 21-14 going into the half, would swing the momentum in Dallas’ favor.

The Cowboys forced the Raiders to punt on their first possession after the break before starting a drive on their own 13-yard line. Tony Romo once more marched the team up the field and found Dez Bryant on a 4-yard touchdown strike to tie the game.

The Raiders were once more forced to punt before Dallas topped off a third straight scoring drive with a 7-yard scoring burst from Murray early in the fourth. After trading punts, the Dallas defense made its mark once more as Brandon Carr intercepted rookie quarterback Matt McGloin in the end zone. The Cowboys added a 19-yard Dan Bailey field goal on the ensuing drive as they ticked 6:43 off the clock, leaving the Raiders needing two scores in just 1:56 and with no timeouts.

McGloin and Co. made the Cowboys sweat it out though. Looking like a starting quarterback, he quickly led the team to the Dallas 27-yard line where Sebastian Janikowski kicked a field goal. Needing another score, Janikowski put the onside kick into play but Dallas gained possession, and took to the victory formation, running out 31-24 victors.

Romo completed 23 of 32 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown in the game. DeMarco Murray had 63 yards rushing on 17 carries, but his three touchdowns made all the difference. Backup Lance Dunbar also had a career-high 82 rushing yards, 45 of which came on one play.

McGloin finished his third start for the Raiders having completed 18 of 30 passes for a game-high 255 yards, but had no touchdown passes.

The win marked only the second time the Cowboys have picked up back-to-back victories this season. However, with a 4-0 record within the NFC East, a one-game advantage in the win column over the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas is now in control of its own destiny going forward.

As we alluded to in yesterday’s preview of this game, while not yet mathematically eliminated from the postseason, the Raiders’ season effectively ended with this loss.

Vegas Impact

Janikowski’s field goal in the final minute of the game was huge for bettors. Those taking the Raiders to cover the spread were jubilant after the kick while those picking the Cowboys to cover had their heads in their hands.

Oakland (8-4-0 ATS) has now covered the spread more times than any other team in the AFC. In fact, the Raiders share the league’s best ATS record with Dallas (8-4-0 ATS). The Cowboys however have failed to cover in three of their last four games, something worth considering as the season moves into its final month.

The total went over in this one. Dallas (7-5-0) has favored the over in recent weeks, watching the score break the bookmakers’ marker in three straight games and four of the last five. After favoring the under early in the season, Oakland (5-6-1) has now seen the total go over in three of its last four games, another trend worth keeping in mind.

Dallas will now take a few days to recover before planning for a Monday Night Football clash with the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 9.

Oakland will travel east to play the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium next Sunday (Dec. 8).

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