The Oakland Raiders will return home for their final game of the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys at the OaklandAlameda County Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. This will be the first contest against Dallas since 2013, and the Cowboys' first regular season trip to Oakland since 2005.
Here is the Game Preview, presented by 95.7 The Game.
THE SETTING
Date: Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. PTSite: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (1966)Capacity/Surface: 56,057/Natural GrassRegular Season: Raiders lead, 6-5
Postseason: N/A
Sunday's game marks the first of two consecutive primetime games for the Silver and Black against NFC East opponents, with the team playing the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 16. This will be the Raiders' third appearance of the season on Sunday Night Football, having appeared in the slot in Week 3 at the Washington Redskins and Week 9 at the Miami Dolphins.
Last week, the Raiders fell at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs by a final score of 15-26. LB Bruce Irvin led the team's pass rush again, posting two sacks on the afternoon, and he was joined by DE Khalil Mack and LB NaVorro Bowman, who each added one quarterback takedown. Irvin has now recorded five sacks over the last three weeks, most in the NFL. Bowman also led the team with 11 tackles and added one pass defensed. S Karl Joseph tallied his first interception of the season, stalling a Kansas City drive in Raiders territory. QB Derek Carr threw for 211 yards on 24-of- 41 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions for a 60.1 quarterback rating. RB Marshawn Lynch led the team in rushing, recording seven carries for 61 yards and one touchdown. TE Jared Cook tallied five receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown to lead the team's receivers.
Next week, the Raiders will travel to the East Coast for a primetime matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas night. Following that game, the Raiders will travel back and prepare on a short week for a divisional matchup in Los Angeles against the Chargers to wrap up the regular season. The Cowboys will finish out their campaign with a home game in Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks and a road game at the Eagles in Week 17.
BRUCE IRVIN
Over the last three weeks, LB Bruce Irvin has been on a sack streak that ranks at the top of the league. Since Week 12, Irvin has totaled five sacks, including two multi-sack games. DE Khalil Mack and DL Denico Autry aren't far behind, as they both have recorded three sacks during that time frame. As a team, the Raiders have posted 12 sacks since Week 12, a total that ranks tied for third in the league.
Irvin now has eight career multi-sack games, with three coming over the last two years during his time with the Raiders.
COWBOYS SNAPSHOT
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION
NBC
Play-by-play: Al Michaels
Color Analysts: Cris Collinsworth
Sideline: Michele Tafoya
NATIONAL RADIO
Westwood One Sports
Play-by-play: Kevin Kugler
Color Analyst: Jason Taylor
RADIO
Flagship: 95.7 The Game
Play-by-play: Greg Papa
Color Analyst: Tom Flores
Sideline: Lincoln Kennedy
Spanish Radio
Spanish Flagship: KIQI 1010
Play-by-play: Fernando Arias
Color Analyst: Ambrosio Rico
Overview: The Dallas Cowboys are led by Head Coach Jason Garrett, now in his seventh season at the helm of the Cowboys. Garrett and his team are on a two-game win streak and will enter their Week 15 matchup against the Raiders with a 7-6 record. The Cowboys, who sit in second place in the NFC East, defeated the Giants last week by a score of 30-10 in New York. The win moved the Cowboys to 4-1 in their division and keeps their playoff hopes alive as they look to secure a Wild Card spot
Offense: In just his second year, QB Dak Prescott is on pace to post his second consecutive 3,000-plus yard passing season as he enters this week with 2,752 yards, completing 252-of-399 attempts with 21 touchdowns for a passer rating of 91.6. Prescott has also recorded five rushing touchdowns this season. Eighthyear veteran WR Dez Bryant has been Prescott's top target as he leads the team in receptions (61), yards (712) and receiving touchdowns (six). The 10-time Pro Bowler, TE Jason Witten, ranks second on the team with five receiving touchdowns while adding 457 yards on 52 receptions. With RB Ezekiel Elliott suspended, the Cowboys have turned to sixth-year veteran RB Alfred Morris as their lead back. Morris has totaled 485 yards on 97 carries with one touchdown.
Defense: The Cowboys' defense features DE Demarcus Lawrence, who ranks second in the league in sacks. Lawrence, who only totaled nine sacks through the first three years of his career, has racked up 13.5 sacks in his fourth season. S Jeff Heath leads the secondary with three interceptions and CB Anthony Brown is close behind with two picks. Dallas' defense has also recorded one touchdown thanks to S Byron Jones, who returned his one interception 21 yards for a score.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Pro Connections
• Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio played three seasons (1989-91) with the Dallas Cowboys.
• Raiders special teams coordinator Brad Seely signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent following his senior year of college ball in 1978.
• Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing and Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan spent four seasons together (2009-13) in Detroit, with Downing serving as the offensive quality control coach, assistant quarterbacks coach and quarterbacks coach during his tenure, and Linehan as the offensive coordinator.
• Raiders offensive line coach Mike Tice hired both Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who held the same title, and tight ends coach Steve Loney (offensive line coach) in 2002 while he was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Tice promoted Loney to offensive coordinator in 2005 upon Linehan's departure to the Dolphins.
• Raiders LS Jon Condo signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and made his NFL debut with the Cowboys that year, appearing in three games for the club.
• Raiders FB/RB Jamize Olawale signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and was added to their practice squad that same season. Olawale was signed by the Raiders off the Cowboys' practice squad in December of 2012 and has been with the club since. Olawale also attended the University of North Texas in Denton, where he played in 19 games as a wide receiver.
• Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack had a one-year stint with the Raiders, holding the same title for the club in 2012.
• Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson played quarterback for the Raiders from 1998-99.
• Cowboys WR Brice Butler was originally drafted by the Raiders in the seventh round (209th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. As a reserve wide receiver and special teamer, Butler spent two full seasons with the team before being traded to the Cowboys in 2015.
• Cowboys DE Benson Mayowa spent time on the Raiders roster (2014- 15) before being signed by the Cowboys as a restricted free agent in 2016.
College Connections
• Raiders RB DeAndre Washington attended Texas Tech for four years (2012-15), and was named All-Big 12 First Team in 2015.
• Cowboys defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Rod Marinelli served as the defensive line coach and assistant head coach at Cal from 1983-91.
• Cowboys FB Keith Smith attended San Jose State for four years (2010-13) and played linebacker, amassing 476 tackles, the second most in school history.
• Cowboys LS Louis-Philippe Ladouceur played every game as Cal's long snapper from 2000-03 and was a key member on special teams.
• Cowboys CB Bené Benwikere played at San Jose State for four years (2010-13) and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Panthers.
Hometown Connections
• Raiders WR Michael Crabtree is a native of Dallas, Texas, and attended Dallas Carter High School. He was also college football's most productive receiver from 2008-09 at Texas Tech. Crabtree was twice honored as the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, given to the nation's top receiver, and was a two-time consensus All-American and Big-12 selection.
• Raiders T Marshall Newhouse is a native of Dallas, Texas, where he attended Lake Highlands High School before playing four years at TCU (2006-09).
• Cowboys CB Chidobe Awuzie is a native of San Jose, Calif., and attended Oak Grove High School, earning PrepStar All-West Region and first-team all-area honors as a senior.
