The 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders host the 3-5-1 Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. Here are five keys to game:
Take advantage of Dallas’ defense:
The Cowboys have a solid offense, but they are struggling because of a rough defense. Dallas has allowed 30 or more points in five of their game. That is staggering and it’s an opportunity. But, of course, Chip Kelly’s offense has been having its own problems. The Raiders have scored 10 points or fewer in four games. In Week 9, at Denver, they went seven possessions (spanning more than 28 minutes) without getting a first down. The Raiders must find a way to compile points against this bad defense.
Keep Williams at bay:
The beleaguered Dallas defense was bolstered at the trade deadline when they acquired star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson from the Bengals. Both will be making their Dallas debuts Monday night. Williams can be a game wrecker and he will be extremely motivated to have a big game under the “Monday Night Football” against a battered Raiders’ interior offensive line. This will be a key to the game.
Get Bowers involved:
Against Denver, Raiders’ star tight end Brock Bowers had just one catch and it went for 31 yards. Kelly must get Bowers the ball. The Raiders offense starts with Bowers. If he is taken out of the game, the Raiders’ receivers in the post Jakobi Meyers-offense are just not feared enough to make a difference. Bowers is one of the few ways the Raiders can win. He has to be used.
No special teams miscues:
The Raiders’ special teams has been a liability for big parts of the season. In Week 9, they had a punt blocked that setup up the game-winning field goal and they missed a makeable field goal with less than five minutes to go. This team is not good enough for the special teams to keep shooting itself in the foot as they move on from fired special teams coach Tom McMahon.
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Give fans something to cheer about early:
Allegiant Stadium has become famous for being overtaken by opposing fans in the past five seasons. This has potential to be an all-timer as the Cowboys visit in the regular season for the first team. It could be quite blue inside. The Raiders must keep their own fan base interested by starting fast.
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