The Dallas Cowboys needed a win on Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders. With the memory of fallen teammate Marshawn Kneeland on their minds, the Cowboys did just that with a dominant 33-16 victory.
That puts Dallas at 4-5-1 on the season. Now, they enter a gauntlet of more challenging opponents with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions on deck over the next several weeks. So, the Cowboys won’t likely look as impressive in the near future. With that being said, the NFL
is a week-to-week league, and Dallas did what they had to do against an inferior opponent to gain some confidence for this upcoming stretch.
Let’s look at three things in particular that we learned from Dallas in this much-needed victory.
George Pickens opens up the Cowboys offense in so many ways
What’s better than having one excellent wide receiver? Two. Pickens had yet another big-time performance against the Raiders. After he and CeeDee Lamb didn’t play on the first possession due to a disciplinary matter, Pickens started to cook with fish grease. He finished with nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. What his play also did was open up things for Lamb who gained 66 yards on five receptions and had a score.
Getting those two guys going and making the defense honest allows a guy like Javonte Williams to eat in the running game, which he did last night with 93 yards on 22 carries. With Pickens and Lamb doing their thing, it also opens up the middle of the field for a guy like tight end Jake Ferguson or wide receiver Ryan Flournoy when Lamb is the slot (both players scored against the Raiders). Simply put, Pickens causes a number of issues for opposing defenses.
Quinnen Williams does the same as Pickens for the defensive side
The entire Cowboys fan base was elated when the team traded for Williams. In his first time on the field for Dallas, Williams wasn’t just good, he was dominant. He finished with four tackles, 1.5 sacks, five quarterback hits, and seven pressures. Williams and his full arsenal were on display as he took on double teams, constantly made Raiders quarterback Geno Smith move off his spot, and allowed guys like Kenny Clark (recorded a half sack with Williams) and Osa Odighizuwa (recorded a sack) to flourish in one-on-one situations.
This is why adding Williams to the roster was so important for the defensive side of the ball. In addition to helping Clark and Odighizuwa, Williams gives edge rushers like Donovan Ezeiruaku (recorded a safety) and James Houston (recorded a sack) more favorable matchups as well. What that does is allow linebackers to roam and cut down the amount of time cornerbacks have to cover. Williams is a force multiplier of the highest order.
Caelen Carson is figuring it out
When the Cowboys took Carson in the fifth round in the 2024 NFL Draft, the thought was that he would be the next piece in the cornerback room along with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Unfortunately, he battled injuries all year and couldn’t take off. After only playing on special teams in his first two appearances this season, Carson had a solid performance in the loss to the Arizona Cardinals playing in zone and breaking on the ball.
On Monday night, Carson was the only defensive player that played all 60 snaps for the Cowboys. Carsosn looked very sticky in coverage with two passes defended and he looked good as a tackler. As a rookie, Carson didn’t look like a confident player, and dealing with injuries didn’t help. Now, we’ve seen the confidence over the last two games, and if Carson can continously play to the level and even higher, the Cowboys have found another late-round gem in the secondary.
