Notes from the Cowboys’ sideline following Dallas’ impressive 33-16 road win over the Raiders in Las Vegas on Monday Night Football:
Mum’s the word: Coach Brian Schottenheimer’s decision to bench CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for the first offensive series was a surprise. Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Tolbert started at receiver. The first play was a run by Javonte Williams, so it was easy to rationalize, “Oh, maybe they had Flo and Jalen out there to block.” But when Lamb and Pickens were still standing on the sideline behind Schotty on the second and third plays of the three-and-out series, the antennae went up as to them possibly being held out for disciplinary reasons. Immediately after the Cowboys punted, we were told on the sideline it was “a coach’s decision, not injury-related.”
Both Lamb and Pickens spoke to media in the locker room after the game, but neither offered a mea culpa nor an explanation for what led to the decision.
“I’m not going in depth on that, honestly I’m not,” said Lamb when asked why he missed the opening series. “I’m sorry, I’m not.”
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Pickens took a different tact when asked, “What went into you and CeeDee not starting the game?”
“Yeah, certain personnels,” he responded. “We thought they were going to come out in certain stuff, but they didn’t. They started kind of hunching down on the run, so we started throwing it around a little bit.”
In his postgame press conference, Schottenheimer offered an explanation.
“It’s tough,” he said. “I made a coach’s decision. There were some things that were missed, so I had a conversation with those guys. But you look at the energy they played with. They literally jump-started the offense when they got back in there. They didn’t hang their heads, they didn’t do any of that stuff. That’s why I love those guys. Again, this was a great team win.”
The duo definitely had a huge impact in an aerial attack that featured four TD passes by Dak Prescott and receptions by eight different Cowboys. Even more impressive than their catches were Pickens’ and Lamb’s yards-after-catch.
Pickens’ physicality and run-after-catch ability was on full display and, yes, the impressive power and drive he showed in gaining those extra yards after contact was truly energizing to the entire sideline, including teammates on defense.
How do you know a player on offense is doing something truly spectacular? When his teammates on defense stop what they are doing along the bench and react like meerkats, all of them looking up collectively to peer at what’s happening on the field. Several times Pickens had teammates cheering his efforts from the sideline.
Including his 144 receiving yards and touchdown, the stat line Pickens is compiling in Dallas is entering elite territory.
Playing for Marshawn: See photos from Cowboys’ dominant victory over Raiders on Monday night
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In company of Hall of Famers: Pickens (908 receiving yards, 7 TDs) is only the fourth player in Cowboys’ history with at least 900 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches through 10 games. The other three just happen to be Hall of Famers: Bob Hayes (1966), Michael Irvin (1995) and Terrell Owens (2007).
And speaking of impressive numbers, after five catches Monday night, Lamb now has 536 career receptions, moving him past Dez Bryant (531) for third most in team history, trailing only Jason Witten (1,215) and Irvin (750).
But at the end of the game, Lamb looked anything but satisfied. An ultimate competitor, he was disappointed in the missed connection in the end zone on 4th and goal from the 4-yard line with four minutes left in the game.
Immediate impact: Wow, what a difference one player can make!
DT Quinnen Williams, acquired two weeks ago in a trade with the Jets, was more than advertised in his Cowboys’ debut. And he wasted no time. In the first half alone, he tallied five QB hits. His final stat line (1.5 sacks, one tackle-for-loss, four tackles, five QB hits) doesn’t tell the entire story. He was a rising tide that lifted all boats as the defense totaled four sacks and allowed only 27 rushing yards.
Yes, the Raiders’ anemic offense has struggled all year, particularly their injury-depleted offensive line. But credit the Cowboys’ D-line for their most dominant effort of the season. Everyone got a piece of the action, including rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku who teamed with CB DaRon Bland to tackle Ashton Jeanty in the end zone for the first safety of his career.
The defensive linemen told anyone who would listen they intended to honor their late teammate, DE Marshawn Kneeland, by playing with relentless passion. And they delivered.
Honoring Kneeland: Inside the visitors’ locker room, a white No. 94 Kneeland jersey was hung in the open locker next to defensive co-captain Osa Odighizuwa’s. The jersey was taken to the bench during the game.
Immediately after the game, before heading to midfield for postgame handshakes, WR Ryan Flournoy jumped atop the bench and held the jersey aloft so all the Cowboys fans could acknowledge Kneeland’s memory. Flournoy was one of Marshawn’s closest friends on the team, with Ryan and his wife, Kalei, often double-dating with Marshawn and his girlfriend, Catalina.
Flournoy, who caught a TD in the third quarter, then carried the jersey onto the field where both Cowboys and Raiders players stood alongside each other posing for photos while holding the jersey.
Defensive co-captain Donovan Wilson then grabbed the jersey and carried it to the postgame prayer circle with both Raiders and Cowboys players who laid the jersey on top of the midfield Raiders’ logo.
Odighizuwa then carried the jersey back into the locker room where it hung postgame until it was time to pack up for the charter flight home.
Class act: Kudos to the Raiders organization for honoring Marshawn not only with a moment of silence before kickoff, but also for wearing specially designed shirts during pregame warmups.
The long-sleeve black shirts had white letters and numerals with “CALL AN AUDIBLE” on the front and “988 SUICIDE HOTLINE” on the back. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides counselors for anyone who calls with issues of emotional distress or mental health, so the shirts were a great way to get the message out to anyone who may need assistance.
The Cowboys’ shirts worn in honor of Marshawn in pregame were navy blue with a photo a Marshawn on the front and, in white letters/numerals below the photo, MARSHAWN KNEELAND 2001-2025. Coaches and staff continued to wear the shirts throughout the game.
Upon arrival at the stadium, defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton wore a blue 94 Kneeland jersey.
The Cowboys will wear their pregame T-shirts again this coming Sunday at AT&T Stadium because it will be the first home game since Marshawn’s passing. The blue “94” decal on the back of their Cowboys helmets will remain affixed for the remainder of the season.
A number 94 sticker is seen on a Dallas Cowboys helmet in memory of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland who died Nov. 6 before an NFL game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Las Vegas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Bracing for action: DeMarvion Overshown made his 2025 debut and started the game at LB alongside Kenneth Murray. Overshown wore a brace over his surgically repaired right knee and at one point in the first half took himself out of the game for a couple plays as Britt Brown, Cowboys director of rehabilitation, helped him adjust the brace.
The plan for Overshown was a pitch count of up to 30 or so plays and to play a lot situationally, particularly on third downs. He finished the game with 31 snaps.
Split time at MLB: The plan at middle linebacker was for Murray to start the game and for newly acquired Logan Wilson to play the second defensive series, with those two alternating series the remainder of the game. When on the field, each wore a “green dot” radio helmet and relayed the calls from defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to teammates.
Wilson, who like Quinnen Williams arrived in Dallas two weeks earlier on the trade deadline, was playing in a similar scheme to what he played for the Bengals. But the terminology used by the Cowboys is very different from the Bengals’ verbiage, so he essentially had less than two weeks to “learn a new language,” according to LB coach Dave Borgonzi. The MLB is essentially the quarterback of the defense, so communication is essential and learning new terminology was the most difficult part of the learning curve for Wilson.
Carson gets the start: Second-year CB Caelen Carson has unseated Kaiir Elam and Trikweze Bridges as starting cornerback opposite Bland. Carson, who was on injured reserve (knee) the first six games of the season, had played only 28 defensive snaps entering Monday. But he earned the start versus the Raiders and played well, finishing with two passes defensed and two tackles.
Steele takes RT snaps: Terence Steele played 100% of snaps at right tackle, most of them head-to-head versus All-Pro DE Maxx Crosby, so all the talk radio folks and print media pundits who thought one of the changes coming out of the bye week would be more snaps for Nate Thomas at right tackle will have to cool their heels, at least for another week.
Excuse me. How much were tickets?: Because Allegiant Stadium has one of the smallest seating capacities in the NFL, and because Las Vegas is viewed as a destination game by visiting fans, tickets on the secondary market are costly for Raiders’ home games. Add in the fact the Cowboys were making their first regular season appearance in Vegas, and it was no surprise the price for tickets Monday night was through the roof.
In the weeks leading up to the game, upper deck tickets were running approximately $480 and up on SeatGeek. Over the weekend, the cost rose even higher to $560-plus as the least expensive tickets.
Often the prices will drop slightly on gameday, but not on this night. When I looked online in the hours leading up to kickoff, the least expensive upper-deck ticket was $1,250. Yikes!
Instead of flying on the team charter Sunday, I flew out early on Friday to enjoy some shows and can confirm that Cowboys fans were everywhere to be seen along the Las Vegas Strip. And, yes, the game felt and sounded like a 50/50 split among Cowboys and Raiders fans. In the lower level behind the visitors’ bench, the ratio was more like 75/25 in favor of the Cowboys. Of all the road trips so far this season, Vegas was by far the biggest turnout of silver-and-blue.
Attendance at Monday night’s sellout was 62,625. Only the Titans and the Bears are averaging fewer fans for home games than the Raiders. On the opposite end of the spectrum, thanks to the size and seating capacity (including standing room only) of AT&T Stadium, Cowboys’ home games average just over 93,000 fans which is 30,000 more fans per game than the Raiders.
Showtime: With the current NFL scheduling formula, the Cowboys are guaranteed a road game in Vegas only once every eight years. That is too bad because in Vegas the Raiders line up some great musical acts for home games. The War and Treaty sang a beautiful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” and Nelly performed the halftime show while sporting a Raiders’ No. 34 Bo Jackson jersey.
Oh, and you know how fans in Dallas yell “Stars” during the national anthem? Because their Vegas Golden Knights hockey team is so popular, fans in Vegas yell “Knights” when the singers get to “gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”
Final word: The best news from the sideline is the team came through the game relatively clean from an injury standpoint. The only Cowboys’ in-game injury report was FB Hunter Luepke entering the blue medical tent after taking a hard hit on a run-after-catch in the second quarter, but he returned to game action for the next offensive series. Luepke, by the way, was named game captain versus the Raiders.
Kristi Scales is the sideline reporter for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network. She writes this column for The Dallas Morning News after each Cowboys game.
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