Dallas Cowboys @ Las Vegas Raiders
Final Score: DAL 27 – LV 12
Writer: Cesar Escajeda (@cescajeda13 on Twitter)
An entertaining preseason game in the desert, the Raiders elected to trot most of their starters out for a few series while Dallas focused on key rookie contributors. It was the Cowboys that found momentum as the game wore on and head home to Frisco with the victory.
Three Up
- Trey Lance, QB (DAL) – The media has heavily scrutinized Lance since being selected third overall, but it looks like he’s finally starting to put things together in Big D. Lance played the majority of the game, throwing a beauty of a floater for a TD, and later rushed one in as well for the score to cement the win.
- Brandon Aubrey, K (DAL) – This man is absolutely automatic. It won’t count because it’s preseason, but Aubrey tied the NFL record with the easiest 66-yard field goal you’ll ever see. NextGen stats say the kick likely would have been good at 72 yards out – that’s insane.
- Tre Tucker, WR (LV) – A bright spot in the Raiders WR room, Tucker brought in a bomb of a pass from Gardner Minshew in the 1st quarter that helped set up their first points of the game. Quick, and fluid in his routes with excellent hands, Tucker looks to be claiming his role in this offense going forward.
Three Down
- Raiders QB Room – Gardner Minshew drew the start, but outside of the 48-yard lob to Tucker, he struggled to find rhythm with the Raiders first-team, earning three total points on his five drives. Aidan O’Connell didn’t look much better either, scoring Las Vegas’ only touchdown, then mailing in an easy 69-yard pick-six to Cowboys backup CB Kemon Hall on the following series.
- Cooper Rush, QB (DAL) – Rush only played on one drive, but looked pedestrian at best, going 1/3 for 6 yards. Contrary to media belief, it’s still his QB2 job to lose, but he’s not doing himself any favors with Lance starting to pick up speed.
- Jakobi Meyers, WR (LV) – Meyers did not manage to bring in a single of his four targets in the game, looking mediocre against the Cowboys’ second-team secondary. Whether the blame falls on him or Minshew remains to be seen, but it’s a concerning statline for the presumptive WR2 in Las Vegas.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Trey Lance: 15/23, 151 Yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 98.3 Passer Rating / 7 Carries, 34 Yards, 1 Rushing TD
Lance started slow but gained momentum as the game went on, finding open receivers and zipping passes in through tight windows while using his mobility to extend drives.
Notes
- A major criticism of Lance has been his lack of reps, so it was nice to see him play the vast majority of the game for the Cowboys. He didn’t look shaken, making good decisions on the fly and showing off his dual-threat prowess, rushing for a TD on a quick-cut QB draw. He likely hasn’t pushed Rush for the backup job behind Dak Prescott, but he’s entrenched on the roster and is growing as a passer with every week.
Missed Opportunities
- There were still a few passes where Lance either over or underthrew the receiver, and that could use some cleaning up. On a few drives, he made the wrong read and it resulted in incompletions on plays that could’ve sprung the game open for the Cowboys offense, so there is room to improve.
Cooper Rush: 1/3, 6 Yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 42.4 Passer Rating
Rush started the game and only played two series, but did not look good against the majority of the first-team Raiders defense.
Notes
- Sure, it wasn’t much time to gather a real opinion on, but Rush didn’t wow anyone with his playing time on Saturday. He’s proven himself in years past, but so far in the 2024 preseason his game has left a lot to be desired. Lance is pushing but probably won’t dethrone Rush this season, so for the sake of Cowboys fans the hope is that Rush will put things together as Week 1 fast approaches.
Missed Opportunities
- Rush couldn’t get the ball to his receivers, plain and simple. His offensive line, with rookie standouts Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe, did solid against the likes of Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, so you can’t exactly pass the blame on anyone else.
Running Back
Deuce Vaughn: 5 Carries, 34 Yards (6.8 Average), 0 TDs
In his first preseason action, Vaughn looked elusive and lightning quick, slicing the Raiders defense and chugging forward on each opportunity given.
Notes
- Criticisms of Vaughn and his selection have been loud over the past year, given the lack of a solid running game in Dallas and Vaughn’s extremely small frame. But against the Raiders on Saturday it looked like he had finally turned a corner, being utilized in space where Vaughn excels, putting defenders on skates and earning tough yards in his limited action.
Missed Opportunities
- It’s hard to find anything that Vaughn did wrong in this game. The O-line pushed forward and got him the room he needed, while the coaching staff designed runs for him to the outside where space became a weapon for the elusive 5’6″ RB. He even made sure to fall forward on each carry, not giving up yards or letting himself get stuffed in the backfield. It was an impressive outing for the second-year man out of Kansas State.
Royce Freeman: 7 Carries, 32 Yards (4.6 Average), 0 TDs
Freeman got the majority of carries out of the Cowboys’ backfield with Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott sitting for this game. He did well, churning out tough yards and continuing to impress the coaching staff in a questionable RB room to enter the season.
Notes
- Freeman got on the field after Malik Davis drew the start and did well with the limited carries he received. Reports out of camp say Mike McCarthy and the coaching staff are indeed high on Freeman, so he likely claims the RB4 role on what could end up a committee backfield entering Week 1.
Missed Opportunities
- There wasn’t much that Freeman missed against the Raiders. He hit the hole with confidence and looked decent in pass protection. It was a positive outing overall for the free agent signing in Dallas.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Ryan Flournoy: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 23 Yards (5.8 Average), 1 TD
Flournoy made the most of his playing time, catching a beautiful lob from Lance for a 1-yard TD.
Notes
- The rookie sixth-rounder out of Southeastern Missouri looked calm and collected in his game action, drawing targets from Trey Lance and springing free of the defender for his endzone score. It was a good positive outing for Flournoy, who’s battling a weaker WR corps for reps behind absent starter CeeDee Lamb and veteran Brandin Cooks.
Missed Opportunities
- Lance missed Flournoy on a short pass that could’ve kept the drive alive but instead forced the Cowboys offense to the sideline on a 3-and-out. There were a few passes like that in this matchup, but it was a pretty solid game for the rookie wideout as a whole.
Racey McMath: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 54 Yards (18.0 Average), 0 TDs
With one heck of a name, McMath did great work on limited snaps as he faces an uphill battle for one of the final WR spots in Big D.
Notes
- McMath caught a great throw from Lance that turned into a monster 30-yard gain, setting up Lance’s rushing TD in the 4th quarter. It exemplified McMath’s deep-threat ability and was a really nice play for the Cowboys offense as the game winded down.
Missed Opportunities
- Not much to say here. McMath caught everything sent his way and did good work leading the Cowboys in receiving yards on the night.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Gardner Minshew: 10/21, 95 Yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 60.6 Passer Rating
It was not a very impressive night for the journeyman QB, who has now been named the starting quarterback for the Raiders.
Notes
- Minshew got the start and looked to be heating up early, finding WR Tre Tucker for a long 48-yard gain to set up the Raiders’ first points on the night. It was all downhill from there, however, as Minshew and the offense were either forced to punt or turned the ball over on downs on the other four series he played. Apparently he did enough to warrant head coach Antonio Pierce‘s endorsement as the starter for the season opener, but it was concerning to say the least, especially since most of the starting offense took the field with him.
Missed Opportunities
- Errant throws galore were the name of the game for Minshew, but I’d list his lack of connection with starter Jakobi Meyers as the biggest missed opportunity. 4 targets and 0 receptions is a scary statline, especially against second and third-stringers.
Aidan O’Connell: 14/20, 96 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 76.2 Passer Rating
O’Connell was a mixed bag on the night against the Cowboys, scoring a nice TD to a wide-open receiver, then following it up with a horrendous turnover that put Dallas up for good in the second half.
Notes
- In my opinion, he did better than Minshew overall, but that really isn’t saying much. He missed a few easy throws and sailed some passes that could’ve kept the Raiders in the game, and as a result, he appears to have ceded the starting job as we enter the regular season.
Missed Opportunities
- The 69-yard pick-six was the nail in the coffin for the Raiders. Las Vegas, down one point at this stage in the game, had a great chance to claim the lead and was moving the ball well, but O’Connell was read too easily and it resulted in six for the Cowboys defense.
Running Back
Zamir White: 4 Carries, 23 Yards (5.8 Average), 0 TDs
White’s final statline might be a bit misleading on his action against the Cowboys, as one big play buoyed his line on the night.
Notes
- White drew the start and moved the ball well to open the game, ripping a 17-yard physical scamper that put the Raiders in good position. He went 1 yard, 2 yards, and 3 yards after that, getting stuffed for minimal gains behind most of the starting Las Vegas offensive line.
Missed Opportunities
- White didn’t play a whole lot, so it’s tough to gauge what he’d look like in a full game. I can’t fault him for his play on Saturday, but I will say that rushing for a 17-yard gain and the offense scoring no points off of it feels like a miss for Las Vegas in general.
Alexander Mattison: 5 Carries, 15 Yards (3.0 Average), 0 TDs / 1 Reception, 2 Targets, 6 Yards
Mattison is entrenched as RB2 and looks to be getting opportunities on kick returns, but he wasn’t really flashy in this one.
Notes
- Mattison got his carries after Zamir White and played most of the game, but looked somewhat slow on each of his reps. The free agent pick-up from Minnesota isn’t wowing anyone, but didn’t really cede any ground in the RB room either.
Missed Opportunities
- I’d argue Mattison’s use as a returner was fairly disappointing. We know who he is as a rusher, but earning time as the return man for the NFL’s new kickoff rules could have opened new possibilities for the veteran. He just didn’t do much with them.
Dylan Laube: 3 Carries, 8 Yards (2.7 Average), 0 TDs / 0 Receptions, 2 Targets, 0 Yards, 0 TDs
The rookie failed to do much with his reps, both as a rusher and as a receiver out of the backfield.
Notes
- Laube has had some hype this offseason, with many (myself included) who see the path for overtaking Zamir White as the feature back in this offense. If Saturday’s game is any indication, however, Laube is still pretty far off. He had very limited playing opportunities and certainly didn’t help his case, averaging 2.7 yards on the ground and failing to bring in either of his two targets. He looks to be ahead of fellow RB Ameer Abdullah in the pecking order, but this isn’t much of a comfort for fantasy purposes.
Missed Opportunities
- Laube projected as an intriguing receiving back out of New Hampshire, so it was disappointing that he couldn’t do anything through the air on the night. It’s his ticket for snaps in this offense, but it’s hard to make that case here and now.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tre Tucker: 3 Receptions, 6 Targets, 66 Yards (22.0 Average), 0 TDs
Tre Tucker ran with the starting offense and played throughout the game, showing out with his athleticism and ability to get open multiple times for long gains.
Notes
- On a night where star wideout Davante Adams sat and Jakobi Meyers failed to record a catch, it was Tucker who hit the ground running, corralling a lob from Minshew for 48 yards and remaining a menace on offense with his after-the-catch efforts. The WR3 role in this offense appears to be Tucker’s, and there are sure to be possibilities as the season gets closer.
Missed Opportunities
- A few passes thrown his way were simply off target, but it was his highlight catch in the 1st quarter of all things that feels like a miss. Had Minshew led him a little more with the throw, he likely would have taken that 48-yarder to the house. Oh well.
Michael Mayer: 3 Receptions, 4 Targets, 16 Yards (5.3 Average), 0 TDs
People seem to forget about Mayer now that stud rookie Brock Bowers is in the fold, but on a night where he ran with the ones, he did well both as a receiver and as a blocker for the Raiders.
Notes
- Mayer is a physical TE off the line, and did well springing the Raiders RBs for chunk gains early on – but his prowess as a pass catcher stood out the most against Dallas, reeling in some tough catches to keep the chains moving on multiple drives. It’ll be interesting to see Las Vegas utilize a number of two TE sets during the regular season.
Missed Opportunities
- Mayer kept a low profile overall and hit open spaces for his catches when needed. It was hard to really find where he missed an opportunity – he pretty much did what was asked of him in the series he played.