Within the Week 11 version of “Monday Evening Soccer,” the Las Vegas Raiders play host to the Dallas Cowboys.
Las Vegas is coming off an embarrassing efficiency in opposition to the division rival Broncos on “Thursday Evening Soccer” in Week 10, and has now misplaced three in a row. The Raiders’ solely win for the reason that season opener got here in opposition to the lowly Titans, they usually’re taking part in extra for draft positioning than anything at this level within the season.
Dallas is recent off the bye after shedding two consecutive video games for the primary time this season previous to the break. The Cowboys most large strikes on the commerce deadline to attempt to propel themselves again into the playoff image, however it’ll take a Herculean effort down the stretch for that to occur. If it’ll change into a actuality, it has to start out on Monday night time.
Which of those two groups will bounce again from their newest loss? We’ll discover out quickly sufficient. However earlier than we break down the matchup, here is a have a look at how one can watch the sport.
The place to look at Raiders vs. Cowboys dwell
- Date: Monday, Nov. 17 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
- TV: ESPN/ABC | Stream: Fubo (Strive without cost)
- Comply with: CBS Sports activities App
- Odds: Cowboys -3.5, O/U 49.5 (through DraftKings Sportsbook)
When the Cowboys have the ball
Dallas is coming off its Week 10 bye, having put collectively two of its weakest offensive performances of the season in opposition to the Broncos and Cardinals previous to the break. The Cowboys had been rolling with one of many best possible offenses within the NFL previous to these two contests, they usually’re fairly nicely positioned to get again on observe right here in Vegas. The Raiders are twenty fourth in opponent success charge in opposition to each the run and the go, in response to TruMedia, which ought to permit the Cowboys to decide on their very own journey as they give the impression of being to assault this protection.
The Cowboys even have their offensive line absolutely wholesome now after experiencing a myriad of harm points earlier within the yr. Each lineman aside from proper deal with Terence Steele (the weakest hyperlink within the chain) missed not less than one recreation previous to the bye, with proper guard Tyler Booker lacking three and middle Cooper Beebe lacking six earlier than returning for that loss to Arizona. Now at full power, that group ought to be capable to create related push and supply related safety to what it did early within the season earlier than the accidents began piling up.
Dallas has some fairly robust passing recreation benefits, specifically. The Raiders overhauled their secondary this offseason, and never essentially to their profit. Vegas checks in twenty third in EPA allowed per dropback, through TruMedia, permitting opponents to constantly create chunk positive factors by means of the air.
The Cowboys will line CeeDee Lamb up everywhere in the area, however he is at his handiest within the slot, the place the Raiders largely rely on Jeremy Chinn and Darnay Holmes to do the protection. They’ve every allowed passer scores over 100 on their slot snaps, in response to Professional Soccer Focus, which is clearly a recipe for catastrophe in opposition to Lamb.
Issues do not get a lot simpler relating to masking George Pickens, who operates as a real “X” receiver and wins on every kind of comebacks, out-breakers and particularly deep balls down the sphere. There has arguably been no higher deep receiver within the NFL this season, and Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Kyu Blu Kelly and the safeties excessive could have their palms full relating to containing him on these performs.
The Raiders’ greatest hope relating to shutting down the Dallas passing recreation is clearly by means of getting appreciable strain on Dak Prescott, who has completely cooked defenses when truly afforded time to throw this season. The Raiders have top-of-the-line strain gamers on the earth in Maxx Crosby, however they’re nonetheless under common in strain charge, per Tru Media, producing a sack, hit or hurry on solely 32.9% of opponent dropbacks. If it is not Crosby dominating the sport, it is onerous to see how they’re going to get to Prescott on a constant foundation.
The Raiders have truly completed some fairly good work in opposition to the run every so often this yr, they usually’ve been particularly good at limiting yards earlier than contact (0.98 per try, through TruMedia). They’ve largely restricted explosive runs as nicely. The Dallas run recreation is usually about ripping off constant clips of 5 yards or so per carry somewhat than creating large positive factors, although, and Javonte Williams should be certain that fall ahead at each alternative to restrict negatives and arrange good down-and-distance conditions.
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When the Raiders have the ball
The Raiders offense completely cratered final week in opposition to the Broncos, trying non-viable for nearly the whole recreation as Geno Smith was beneath fixed strain and Ashton Jeanty had little or no room to run. Smith limply accomplished 16 of 26 passes for 143 yards and an interception whereas taking six sacks and having to scramble three extra instances (on which he gained solely seven yards), whereas Jeanty gained simply over 3 yards per keep on his 19 dashing makes an attempt. It was a gross, unacceptable efficiency.
Fortunately for Las Vegas, this Cowboys protection may be very a lot not that Broncos protection. Dallas has been one of many worst items within the NFL all season, permitting opponents to run and/or go nearly at will. The Cowboys are thirty first in success charge in opposition to the run and twenty eighth in opposition to the go, per TruMedia, permitting 4.8 yards per carry and an otherworldly 8.2 yards per go try.
In fact, the Dallas protection that can take the sphere on Monday night time can also be a lot completely different than the one which has been taking the sphere for a lot of the season. The Cowboys added Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson on the commerce deadline, and also will get each Demarvion Overshown and rookie Shavon Revel again from harm for this recreation.
That mentioned, although, even Jerry Jones himself admitted that the Cowboys weren’t one or two gamers away from fixing their protection. They want each a type of reinforcements simply to change into a below-average unit, not to mention a top quality one. And it is probably that even their collective presences won’t repair all the pieces that was so mistaken thus far this yr.
The Raiders want to ensure they do a a lot better job than they did per week in the past of getting the ball to their greatest participant, Brock Bowers. The star tight finish someway ended the sport in opposition to Denver with solely three targets, mere days after he had gone off for 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns in opposition to the Jaguars. Dallas’ numbers in opposition to tight ends are fairly good thus far this season, however a few of that is because of having performed a comparatively weak slate of opposing tight ends — and Bowers at his greatest is absolutely working like extra of a receiver anyway.
The Raiders completely must line him up all over the place till they get favorable seems, then pepper him with the ball. Particularly after buying and selling away Jakobi Meyers on the deadline, they actually do not have a lot else relating to weapons within the passing recreation. Tre Tucker has nice pace and may maybe run by one of many Dallas corners in house, however behind him within the huge receiver room are Tyler Lockett (who was reduce by the Titans), Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton.
The Raiders are weakened up entrance after the lack of Jackson Powers-Johnson to injured reserve, which may show significantly hampering within the run recreation in opposition to the new-look inside of Dallas’ entrance, which now consists of Williams, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa all collectively. One of the best path to dashing success might be to attempt getting Jeanty on the perimeter, attacking Dallas’ smaller edge defenders, who aren’t as robust in opposition to the run as they’re dashing the passer. If they’ll spring Jeanty to the surface, he can stand up to the second degree and attempt to make the Dallas defensive backs deal with in house.
Cowboys vs. Raiders prediction, choose
The Raiders is perhaps at dwelling, however they simply have too many matchup disadvantages defensively for me to suppose they will decelerate the Dallas offense in the identical means that the Cowboys’ final two opponents did. The Dallas protection, in the meantime, might have gotten simply sufficient reinforcements to not fully collapse in opposition to an offense that does not have a lot going for it within the first place. Decide: Cowboys 30, Raiders 20
