LAS VEGAS — The tragic passing of Marshawn Kneeland during the ¶¶ŇőĘÓƵ' bye week made for a building full of heavy hearts as the team prepared to visit the Las Vegas Raiders for a Week 11 matchup during Monday Night Football. The contest began with a memorialization of the 24-year-old that included the Cowboys wearing t-shirts to honor and while also debuting the "94" helmet decal they'll wear the remainder of the season.
As they moved forward with Kneeland in their hearts, they did so understanding full well the importance of trying to get back into the win column after a 3-5-1 start.
With their playoff hopes dwindling, Dallas struck not one, but two trade deals ahead of the deadline — acquiring linebacker Logan Wilson and All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
They also welcomed back DeMarvion Overshown, huge news for the linebacker corps, and a debut of rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel to further help try and turn the tide for their struggling defensive unit; and as Dak Prescott and the offense worked to relocate their high-powered groove that been absent over the previous two outings.
They did exactly that, and the defense put belt to backside in a way the Cowboys haven't seen all year, the following players shining the brightest under the primetime lights of Vegas.
[Note: This list is unranked.]
Quinnen Williams + Kenny Clark
Talk about making a damn statement in a debut. Quinnen Williams was every bit the madman the Cowboys knew he'd be when they made the blockbuster trade to acquire him ahead of the trade deadline. His debut came with a multi-sack day, one of them with over 12 minutes to play in the second quarter — despite being choked the entire time — to force 3rd-and-19 and an eventual punt.
Clark was right there with him in the backfield for most of the evening, the three-time Pro Bowler getting in on the action … often … his sack coming after a fumble by the Cowboys offense to keep the Raiders to only a field goal.
Dak Prescott
His yardage won't blow you away, but his efficiency might, as should his effort in battling through early pressure allowed by the offensive line to toss four touchdowns on the evening and owning a passer rating of 145.2 as the game neared its conclusion. Prescott's 18-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb at the top of the second quarter rewarded the defense for James Houston's sack against Geno Smith to give the Cowboys a 10-6 lead, and he then used both Lamb and George Pickens to beat the Raiders into submission for much of the contest thereafter.
CeeDee Lamb + George Pickens
That was by far not the only highlight delivered by Lamb in this game, several big gainers reeled in and despite taking a hit or two doing so. And when it wasn't Lamb getting the best of the Raiders, it was Pickens, the latter dominating Las Vegas at every turn and racking up first-down conversions, yardage and ankles on his way to another stellar outing for the Cowboys. As a matter of fact, his two consecutive first downs were on the same drive that ended with Lamb's touchdown — the Terror Twins™ were on demon time in Week 11 … and despite being benched the first drive by Brian Schottenheimer for disciplinary reasons.
James Houston + Osa Odighizuwa
That's James Houston, yes him, with the sack late in the first quarter on 3rd-and-14 at the Cowboys' 21-yard line with the Raiders driving, forcing 4th-and-20 and a field goal instead of a possible touchdown on that drive. It kept the score a narrow 6-3 in favor of the Raiders at the time, and helped set the tone early, one the Cowboys wanted to make sure Las Vegas understood: Geno Smith would be under siege all night long. That siege didn't end until the clock hit all zeroes, Odighizuwa made sure of that. After narrowly missing on a sack late in the fourth quarter, he'd make good on his mulligan by taking down the Raiders' quarterback once and for all, on a night that saw the Cowboys register four sacks and a boatload of QB pressures.
DeMarvion Overshown
Welcome back, Agent 0. There is something to be said for granting grace to any player coming off of a torn ACL, and especially one doing it for the second time, but while Overshown didn't light up the highlight reel for Sportscenter, he played damn good football for it to have been his first action in a year. Evidence of this came in the first half on a splash play that saw him take down Ashton Jeanty, of all people, in the open field for a four-yard tackle for loss; and it was the same drive that immediately saw Houston get the aforementioned sack. So, yes, Overshown impacted the game in his first one back.
Javonte Williams + Hunter Luepke
If there's something Javonte Williams can't do, point it out, if you can. Not only was he a demon in the rushing attack, at one point averaging more than five yards per carry against the Raiders' front, tearing off chunks of yardage at times, but his pass pro was outstanding and, on one occasion, saved Dak Prescott from a blitzer to allow the All-Pro quarterback time to find CeeDee Lamb down the field for an explosive conversion on third down.
And then there was Luepke, making waves as a receiver out of the backfield, his gutsy run on a 3rd-and-10 in the red zone making it 4th-and-1 from the Raiders' goal line, Prescott rewarding him with a touchdown toss to Jake Ferguson to make it a two-possession game. It was arguably the best outing for Luepke in his Cowboys' career.
Kenneth Murray + Markquese Bell + Malik Hooker
Can the drummer get some? The defense was rocking and rolling all night long and mostly due to the dominance of Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and the edge rushers; but the linebackers and safeties wanted in on the action as well. Hooker was back in action after his long stretch on injured reserve and played with his hair on fire, also taking down Ashton Jeanty for a loss in the backfield at one point. Murray showed some coverage skills by tipping a pass from Geno Smith into the air as the Raiders threatened to score, Bell bringing it down and running for 24 yards to keep the Raiders' back against the wall ahead of the two-minute warning in the first half. The Cowboys got contributions on defense at all three levels, something they've not been able to say at any point this season before now.
Honorable Mention: Caelen Carson + Ryan Flournoy
Shavon Revel made his rookie debut for the Cowboys after returning from a torn ACL suffered in his final year playing collegiate ball, and he moved around well, but it was Caelen Carson being the young cornerback that made the Raiders shake their head in disappointment. The second-year talent wanted every bit of the smoke in both coverage and especially as a tackler, nearly cutting a guy in two on more than one occasion.
Flournoy got in on the touchdown party along with Lamb, Pickens and Ferguson, adding to his career-best season and pushing the Cowboys' lead at the time to a 31-9 shellacking.
