Football is weird. Sometimes, you think you’ve got a rivalry figured out, and then a game like the November 17, 2025, clash between the Las Vegas Raiders vs Dallas Cowboys happens and flips the script. It wasn’t just about the 33-16 score. Honestly, it was about a Cowboys team playing through massive grief and a Raiders team that looked, for lack of a better word, totally lost.
People keep talking about the "silver and black" vs. "America's Team" as this historic clash. But did you know they’ve only played about 15 times in history? It’s not like the Cowboys and Eagles who see each other every five minutes. Every time these two meet, it feels like a rare event, like a solar eclipse but with more holding penalties.
The Night Dak Prescott Broke the Tie
Dak Prescott didn't just win this game; he moved into the record books. Heading into that Monday night game at Allegiant Stadium, he was tied with the legendary Tony Romo for the most games in franchise history with at least three passing touchdowns. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, he had four.
He finished with 268 yards and a 138.6 passer rating. That's clinical.
What’s crazy is that CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens—Dallas' two biggest weapons—actually sat out the first drive. Coach Brian Schottenheimer benched them for "disciplinary reasons." You’d think that would kill the momentum, right? Nope. Pickens came back and absolutely torched the Raiders secondary for 144 yards and a touchdown.
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Why the Raiders Offense Stalled
The Raiders, led by Pete Carroll in his first year, had a plan. Or at least, they seemed to have one for the first ten minutes. They actually took a 6-3 lead early on. Maxx Crosby, doing Maxx Crosby things, strip-sacked Dak on the second drive.
Then everything fell apart.
Basically, the Raiders forgot they had a running game. They had 32 pass plays and only three runs in the first half. Imagine having a rookie like Ashton Jeanty—the sixth overall pick—and only giving him the ball a handful of times. He finished with seven measly yards on six carries. You can't win in the NFL being that one-dimensional. Geno Smith was under fire all night, getting sacked four times, with 1.5 of those coming from the newly acquired Quinnen Williams.
"I thought we moved the ball up and down the field," Geno Smith said after the game. But "moving the ball" doesn't mean much when you're settling for Daniel Carlson field goals while the other team is scoring tuddies.
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The Emotional Weight of November 2025
You can't talk about this specific Las Vegas Raiders vs Dallas Cowboys game without mentioning Marshawn Kneeland. The Cowboys were playing their first game since the 24-year-old defensive end’s tragic death.
The team was clearly playing for something bigger. They wore "Kneeland" shirts. They held a moment of silence that felt like it lasted forever. It’s one of those moments where sports becomes secondary, but ironically, that emotional weight seemed to fuel the Cowboys' second-quarter explosion where they dropped 21 unanswered points.
The Historic Thanksgiving Chaos (2021)
To understand why fans get so hyped for this matchup, you have to look back at the 2021 Thanksgiving game. That was a fever dream.
- Total Penalties: 28 (14 for each team)
- Penalty Yards: 276 total yards given away
- The Result: Raiders won 36-33 in overtime
Anthony Brown, a Cowboys corner at the time, had four pass interference penalties. Four! All on third downs. It was one of the most frustrating games in Cowboys history, ending on a Daniel Carlson field goal after a penalty kept the Raiders' drive alive. It’s the kind of game that cements a "sorta-rivalry" even if the teams aren't in the same conference.
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A New Look Defense in Dallas
By the 2025 matchup, Jerry Jones had clearly seen enough of his defense getting pushed around. The trade deadline was a frenzy. They brought in Quinnen Williams from the Jets and linebacker Logan Wilson.
It worked.
The Raiders were held to just 27 rushing yards. That is a paltry 2.3 yards per carry. When you can’t run, you’re forced to let Geno Smith try to beat a revitalized secondary, and Markquese Bell made them pay with a crucial interception on a pass intended for Brock Bowers.
What to Watch for Next
If you’re looking at where these two franchises are headed, the gap feels wide. The Cowboys moved to 4-5-1 after that win, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive in a tough NFC East. Meanwhile, the Raiders dropped to 2-8, fueling those "what's wrong with the Raiders?" headlines that seem to pop up every November.
Your next steps for following this matchup:
- Watch the Red Zone Efficiency: The Raiders' inability to convert inside the 20 is their biggest hurdle. If they don't fix the play-calling between Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll, the talent of Brock Bowers will be wasted.
- Monitor the Cowboys' New Additions: Keep an eye on Quinnen Williams' snap count. His impact on the pass rush has freed up the edge rushers to be more aggressive.
- Check the 2026 Schedule: Since these teams are in opposite conferences, they won't meet in the regular season again for a while unless the NFL’s 17th-game rotation lines them up.
The Raiders have the talent, especially with Maxx Crosby and Bowers, but until they find a way to balance the offense, games against high-powered teams like Dallas will continue to be a struggle.