In a penalty-ridden slugfest, kicker Daniel Carlson and the Las Vegas Raiders had the last laugh.
Despite Dak Prescott’s efforts to come back and bring the game to overtime, cornerback Anthony Brown’s fourth defensive pass interference penalty of the game put Carlson in a position to kick the game-winning field goal and secure the 33-30 win.
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LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Quarterback
Derek Carr was aggressive all game long, but he simply didn’t hit a high enough percentage of his downfield throws to earn high marks from PFF. He completed just seven of his 15 attempts that traveled more than 10 yards downfield. He also coughed up a fumble that the Raiders fortunately recovered and had more than 55% of his passing yards come after the catch.
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs led the team with 58 offensive snaps while backups Kenyan Drake (15) and Jalen Richard (14) combined for 29. Jacobs averaged 4.0 yards per carry on the ground but did find the end zone once and moved the chains three times. Perhaps his most notable play, though, was a drop on a wide-open downfield pass that could have gone for six.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Hunter Renfrow had himself a day. He caught 8-of-9 targets for 134 yards and three first downs, including a deep reception over the middle of the field early in the fourth quarter.
Hunter Renfrow vs. the Cowboys:
✅ Over 5.5 catches
✅ Over 52.5 receiving yardspic.twitter.com/jlR4B1UQhB— PFF NFL Podcast (@PFFNFLPod) November 26, 2021
Veteran DeSean Jackson also cleared 100 yards receiving on just three receptions and caught Carr’s only touchdown pass on the day. His 19.3-yard average depth of target was the highest of any player in the game.
Offensive Line
All of the Raiders offensive linemen earned pass-blocking grades above 70.0 on PFF’s first review of the game except right tackle Brandon Parker, who earned just a 29.8 pass-blocking grade. He allowed two hurries, two hits and a sack for a team-high five total pressures allowed on the day.
Defensive Line
Dallas largely tamed the Raiders’ defensive line. None of the team’s starters earned PFF grades above 65.0 on first review of the broadcast film. Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue combined for seven total pressures, but even Ngakoue’s sack was a clean-up/pursuit sack and not an early win on the edge.
Linebackers
Denzel Perryman led the linebacking corps with 71 total defensive snaps. Cory Littleton played 53, and K.J. Wright played 15.
Littleton was exposed in the run game and coverage multiple times and should finish reviews with a sub-50.0 PFF grade. He recorded zero defensive stops and a missed tackle.
Secondary
Veteran Desmond Trufant only played 22 defensive snaps but still recorded a forced incompletion and allowed zero yards in coverage on three targets.
Brandon Facyson had quite the opposite day. He allowed seven receptions for 113 yards, three first downs and a touchdown on nine targets. He and Casey Hayward Jr. both allowed over 100 yards in coverage.
DALLAS COWBOYS
Quarterback
Prescott had a handful of exceptional throws down the football field, including two left-sideline tosses to Michael Gallup and the touchdown to tight end Dalton Schultz. He, however, only completed 6-of-13 passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield with zero drops from his intended receivers on those throws.
Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott led the Cowboys’ backfield with 47 offensive snaps while Tony Pollard logged just 31. Both backs faced tough sledding on the ground. The duo combined for just 60 yards on 19 carries and broke one tackle between the two of them.
The highlight for the duo was Pollard’s kick return touchdown in the second half that sparked a resurgence for Dallas.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Both Gallup and Cedrick Wilson cleared 100 yards receiving for Dallas, but neither found the end zone. Tight ends Schultz and Sean McKeon had both of Prescott’s passing touchdowns in the game.
Gallup did have a wide-open target fall incomplete in the end zone just before Schultz caught a touchdown a play later, but the score was called back for a holding penalty.
Offensive Line
One of the biggest highlights of the game for Dallas was the play of their offensive line. Center Tyler Biadasz will likely be the only Cowboys lineman who earns a PFF grade below 70.0 after final review. Tackle Terence Steele led the team in pressures allowed, but even he allowed just three total on the day.
Defensive Line
Every player not named Micah Parsons who played along the defensive line for Dallas made a minimal impact outside of Tarell Basham’s strip-sack early in the game. None had more than three total pressures.
Linebackers
Parsons is a unicorn. He recorded nine total pressures, collected five total defensive stops and missed zero tackles against Las Vegas. He is the obvious Defensive Rookie of the Year and could even enter conversations for Defensive Player of the Year at this rate.
Secondary
This is a burn-the-tape game for many of the Cowboys' defensive backs, but Brown and cornerback Jourdan Lewis especially struggled. Brown was called for four defensive pass interference penalties, including one in overtime that set up the Raiders’ game-winning field goal. Lewis allowed over 160 yards and a touchdown in coverage on seven targets.
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