Raiders' season hits new low as Cowboys take knee before two-minute warning

HENDERSON, Nev. — Monday night's ending wasn't a fantastic finish for the Raiders, but how the 33-16 loss to the Cowboys ended was notable.

Dallas became the second Las Vegas opponent this season to go into victory formation before the two-minute warning. Kansas City did the same on Oct. 19 in its 31-0 victory. Tampa Bay in 2015 was the last team to have that happen twice in one season.

The problem for the Raiders is this season isn't an outlier.

This is their seventh 2-8 start in the past 20 years. They are being outscored by an average of 9.8 points through 10 games for the second season in a row.

From an even more big-picture standpoint, the Raiders are heading toward yet another postseason as spectators. They have made just two playoff appearances — both one-and-dones — since reaching the Super Bowl in the 2002 season.

Owner Mark Davis certainly has tried to change the franchise's direction. Pete Carroll is the fourth full-time coach just since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020.

And unless the season makes a noticeable shift in the other direction, more change is likely coming this offseason.

Two opponents taking pity on a franchise that once carried an outlaw image, trampled over opponents and regularly fought with the league office is startling. Or at least it should be.

It was such a statement of domination for the Cowboys to take a knee that early, and even more remarkable when considering how the ending proceeded to play out. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took five 1-yard losses — the Raiders were penalized for too many men on one play — before handing the ball back with 36 seconds left.

The Raiders completely accepted the outcome, refusing to call any of their three timeouts. What's more is when they got the ball back, quarterback Geno Smith also took a knee and ran out the clock.

They had tried their best when the outcome wasn't certain. Before the Cowboys took the fight out of them.

“We just got to stay together and keep fighting,” Raiders tight end Brock Bowers said after the game. “We have dudes here that play good football, and feel like sometimes it’s not reflected on the field.”

Carroll echoed those thoughts Tuesday morning.

“We played hard in this football game, and guys played tough in the game,” Carroll said. “We didn’t play well enough.”

It's a familiar sentiment.

What’s working

The kicking game did well under interim coordinator Derius Swinton II. Daniel Carlson, whose struggles prompted the Raiders to sign Greg Joseph to the practice squad last week, made all three field goals. AJ Cole averaged 53.3 yards per punt, with a net average of 42 yards. Special teams wasn't perfect — Tre Tucker misplayed a punt return that set up a safety — but this was definitely a step in the right direction.

What needs help

The injury-battered offensive line has had its issues all season, and the coaches made adjustments by switching Jordan Meredith from center to right guard and starting Will Putnam at center. Didn't matter. The Cowboys sacked Smith four times and hit him on 11 plays. The ground game totaled just 27 yards with a 2.3 average per play, though the Raiders didn't give the running game much of a chance.

Stock up

Las Vegas' chances of landing a high draft pick keep increasing. The Raiders are one of six teams with one or two victories, so there is plenty to sort out before the draft order is set.

Stock down

Settling for fields goals. The Raiders actually moved the ball against Dallas, especially in the first half. Five of their six drives over the first 30 minutes ended on the Cowboys' side of the 50-yard line. The results: punt, field goal, field goal, interception, field goal. That's a lot of points left on the field that could have made the game considerably tighter.

Injuries

The Raiders will have a decision to make Wednesday regarding backup QB Aidan O'Connell, who has been on injured reserve with a broken wrist. He has been practicing against the starting defense, and the deadline is upon the Raiders on whether to activate AOC or keep him on IR for the remainder of the season.

Key number

18 — The number of consecutive drives without a touchdown until Tucker reached the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.

Next steps

The Raiders host Cleveland on Sunday.