Raiders (5-5) at Cowboys (7-3)
Thursday, 4:30 p.m. ET, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: CBS
Tipico Sportsbook line: Cowboys by 7 1⁄2
Raiders’ keys to victory: Las Vegas is going to need to keep the pressure off Derek Carr, who turns into a completely different quarterback when he’s not in a clean pocket. The offense will continue to search for ways to stretch the field, but if it can’t, things are going to be difficult against an opportunistic Dallas defense. When the Raiders don’t have the ball, the edge combo of Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue will need to force Cowboys QB Dak Prescott to get rid of the ball quickly and look to create turnovers as they function without their No. 1 receiver.
Cowboys’ keys to victory: Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will need to find a way to revitalize the passing offense with play design while being short-handed. WR Amari Cooper is out on the COVID-19/reserve list, and WR CeeDee Lamb left Dallas’ Week 11 game because of a head injury. That puts a heavy burden on Prescott to make things work with Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown, especially when TE Dalton Schultz is being required to help out with blocking. On defense, rattling Carr is the key to keeping the Raiders’ offense off schedule.
Matchup to watch: Raiders DE Crosby vs. Cowboys RT La’el Collins. Crosby will be the Raiders’ best shot at getting into Prescott’s comfort zone and will be key to slowing down the Dallas passing attack.
Who wins? The Cowboys bounce back from their loss in Kansas City, but it’s thanks to their defense – the offense struggles without its top targets.
Cowboys, 21-11