The Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders met in their Thanksgiving Day NFL clash at AT & T Stadium.
The Cowboys were coming into the game off a big divisional win over their NFC East rivals the New York Giants while Dennis Allen's side were fresh off a defeat to the Tennessee Titans.
Despite trailing at the break, Jason Garrett's side came back to win the game 31-24 to move to 7-5 in their season, ending any hope of a winning season for the Raiders.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good evening and welcome to the NFL Thanksgiving Day clash between the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders.
The Cowboys will come into this game full of confidence following their huge win over the New York Giants on Sunday as Tony Romo drove his side the length of the field to help them score a last-second field goal to move them back to the top of the NFC East.
It is vital for Jason Garrett's side that they don't rest on their laurels and don't drop a game so soon after taking what could be a critical lead in the race to reach the playoffs, finishing top of their division.
The play of Tony Romo has been crucial in keeping the Cowboys alive in their playoff hunt. His statistics this season are nothing short of sensational as he has thrown for 2,900 yards and 23 touchdowns at a quarterback rating of 97.0. Bar one bad game against the New Orleans Saints recently, you could say he's in the form of his career.
Running back DeMarco Murray and wide receiver Dez Bryant have also been in excellent form this year. Murray averages over five yards a carry and four touchdowns, while Bryant has 800 yards on the season with 61 receptions along with eight scores. They have made the Cowboys' offense one of the most potent in the NFL.
In light of several injuries this season on the Cowboys' defense the play of defensive end Jason Hatcher has been critical to Garrett's side. He has been truly destructive and has made up for DeMarcus Ware's injury struggles with nine sacks on the year from the inside. Expect him to be in and around Matt McGloin this evening.
Mentioning Matt McGloin, the former Penn State man starts just his third game in the NFL tonight. The quarterback has a good beginning to his NFL career throwing three touchdowns on his debut against the Houston Texans guiding his team to the win, while he had a steady second outing against the Titans, throwing one score and one interception as his side fell to defeat.
The form of running back Darren McFadden has been a concern for the Raiders this season but he has been adequately replaced by Rashad Jennnings who has had a decent season. Meanwhile, Denarius Moore has been a contributor at wide receiver while Mychal Rivera has emerged as a good pass-catching tight end.
COWBOYS INACTIVES: Harris, Hamilton, Claiborne, Lee, Durant, Holloman, Weems
RAIDERS INACTIVES: Branch, Mady, Sanford, Butler, Watson, Hunter, Moore
The Cowboys are without defensive starters Morris Claiborne and Sean Lee tonight due to hamstring injuries, while special teams ace Dwayne Harris is also out.
Janikowski will kick us off to get the game underway.
TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS!
Oh my! What a start to the game as Williams fumbles on the kickoff and Greg Jenkins gathers the ball and runs it into the endzone for a 21-yard touchdown. The play is under review, so we will see if this stands.
TOUCHDOWN CONFIRMED!
The Raiders start in the perfect fashion as the replays could not prove if Williams was down when he fumbled the ball and Jenkins was across the goalline before he could be shoved out. What a start for the visitors.
Janikowski's second kick sails out of the endzone and Romo will start at the 20.
Dallas go three and out as Romo's pass on third and five falls incomplete as Robinson at the line knocks it down to the ground, after Murray could only get five yards on two carries on first and second down. Jones's punt is collected and taken to the 21 by Greg Jenkins.
The Raiders move the chains on second and nine as McGloin releases the ball quickly as the Cowboys bring the blitz and the quarterback finds Holmes for nine yards on a curl route and he runs to the marker before being brought down.
Oakland can't go any further though as Jennings gets two handoffs and gains only two yards on first and second. McGloin drops back in the shotgun on third and throws the ball out of bounds down the left sideline looking for Ford. King's punt is caught by Beasley at the 10 but he gets dragged back to the seven by Chimdi Chekwa.
Romo gets his side moving as he fires to Austin over the middle of the field for a 19-yard gain to shift the Cowboys to the 33-yard line after Murray had got seven yards on first from a swing pass from the quarterback.
SACK! Romo goes down for a 10-yard loss on second down as Roach shoots through the line unblocked an drops him as he attempted a play-action pass. Dunbar could only get 12 yards on third on a screen pass before he was rackled by Young forcing Jones to punt. His kick was collected by Greg Jenkins at the 10 and taken to the 21.
McGloin goes play-action on first down and gets a huge strike down the left sideline as he throws to the back shoulder of Streater with Scandrick in coverage but the receiver comes down with the acrobatic grab in bounds for a 27-yard reception to move his side to their 48.
McGloin is forced to throw an incompletion on third down to kill the drive as Ware came in unblocked off the right side of the line and nearly got to him but he just got the ball away in time on third and four, after he had found Reece for five on second. King's punt goes out of the endzone so Romo will start at the 20.
The Cowboys get a break on third and six as Romo's pass to Beasley is dropped by the receiver but Romo gets drilled in the pocket late by Sims on the rush and the referee flags for a personal foul and that gives them another set of downs and moves them 15 yards downfield.
The Cowboys move the chains as Romo fires to Williams on third down and six on a crossing route and he makes the catch for the first down despite having Mike Jenkins over his back.
Jenkins kills the drive for the Cowboys as he makes a great pass breakup to stop a dart from Romo reaching Austin on third and five after Beasley had made the down makeable with a five-yard reception on second. Jones's punt is fair caught by Greg Jenkins at the five-yard line of the Raiders.
FUMBLE!
McGloin fumbles the snap for the Raiders at the five-yard line and Jennings takes a grab at it but he can't gather the ball and Wilber gathers at the three-yard line for the Cowboys. Crucial moment in the game.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
The Cowboys get into the endzone immediately as Romo hands the ball off to Murray on the three and he goes behind a block of Bosworth to run in for the score to tie the game.
Jones returns Bailey's kickoff to the Oakland 21 for 26 yards where McGloin will begin.
The Raiders will have a third and seven when the second quarter starts as Ford goes in the wildcat formation behind center and runs with the ball for three yards.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Oakland Raiders 7-7 Dallas Cowboys
McGloin makes an excellent throw to the sideline for Streater on a corner route and he makes the grab to earn his side another set of downs with a 20-yard reception at the Oakland 44.
The Raiders move the chains again as McGloin fires to Rivera on a crossing route despite the attentions of the safety Heath to make a 22-yard reception to move his side to the Dallas 29.
Another quality throw by McGloin to get a first down for his side on third and nine as he drills the ball to Holmes on a back-shoulder fade route and he goes above Carr to make the catch and drop his feet in bounds at the Dallas eight, for a 20-yard reception.
TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS!
The Raiders think they get into the endzone on second down as McGloin drilled a back-shoulder throw to Holmes and he stepped into the endzone but his knee was down just before the line. So they were presented with third and goal at the one, and the quarterback handed off to Jennings on a sweep to the right and he ran across field and sprinted in for the score in the corner to give his side the lead.
Janikowski's kick goes out of the endzone and Romo will begin at the 20.
The Cowboys go three and out as Romo's first pass is nearly intercepted by Woodson as it bounced off the hands of Bryant. He then threw incompletions to Williams then Austin on second and third and Jones was forced to punt. His kick was collected by Greg Jenkins at the 50.
The Raiders move the chains as McGloin fires over the middle for his tight end Rivera who gets enough separation from Sims to make the grab at the Dallas 40 for eight yards.
Oakland are going to the run now as Jennings gets two handoffs and powers through the line for gains of six yards on first and seven on second to get another set of downs at the Dallas 20. Good hard running by Jennings here.
McGloin holds well in the pocket again and delivers another critical strike on third down, this time on third and eight over the middle to Holmes for an 11-yard reception to move his team to the Dallas 11.
Timeout taken by the Raiders at third and two on the Dallas three-yard line as Ford got seven yards on second down after Jenning was stopped for no gain in the wildcat on first. A score would hand the Raiders a massive advantage, especially with them getting the ball first after the break.
Jennings gets the handoff from McGloin and he powers through the line to get the first down but is stopped from reaching the endzone by a good tackle from Carter. It will be first and goal from the one-yard line for the Raiders after the two-minute warning.
TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS!
Jennings takes the handoff on the one-yard line and he powers into the endzone for the score behind some excellent blocking, which created a huge hole for him to run into.
Williams takes the kickoff back to the 27 where Romo will begin.
Romo gets his side moving immediately as he hits his tight end Witten for an 11-yard gain over the middle of a hitch route to take his side to the 38.
Romo looks downfield again as he fires the ball to Witten again and he makes the grab for a 22-yard gain under pressure from Moore and takes his side to the Oakland 32.
Bryant fumbles the ball on a three-yard reception as Jenkins knocks the ball loose but Tyron Smith jumps on the ball quickly to recover it for the Cowboys. A great play from the left tackle there.
Bryant beats Porter in coverage on a deep post downfield and Romo fires a strike to him for a 25-yard gain over the middle of the field to take his side to the Oakland four-yard line.
First and goal and the Raiders bring the pressure and Romo is forced to thrown the ball out of the back of the endzone.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
The Cowboys drag themselves back into the game as Romo caps a good drive by handing the ball off to Murray and he powers over right guard to get into the endzone, behind some excellent blocks.
McGloin takes a knee to end the half.
HALF-TIME: Oakland Raiders 21-14 Dallas Cowboys
The Raiders have come out and played some excellent football against the Cowboys to hold a seven-point lead at the break. Only two blights on the half for them as McGloin fumbled the ball on his own five-yard line to allow Murray to score and their defense allowed Romo too much time to get a score at the end of the half as well. But I think Allen will take this score.
McGloin has been excellent in the first half bar the fumble. His passing on third down has been especially good as he has found his receivers open with some precise throws and is one of the main reasons the Raiders hold the lead.
Romo and his offense were held in check for the majority of the first half by the Raiders defense. He seemed to get into gear in the late scoring drive with Witten and Bryant, they will need to get more involved if the Cowboys are to get back in this game.
Ford returns Bailey's kick to the 20-yard line where McGloin will start.
McGloin gets his side moving immediately as he fires the ball to Holmes on a post route over the middle of the field for a 21-yard gain beating the coverage of Scandrick.
The Raiders can't advance any further as Jennings is stuffed for a two-yard loss and a false start on Veldheer puts them back five yards. On third and 13 McGloin offloads the ball to Jennings on a draw and he can only gets five yards leaving them eight short. Beasley returns King's punt to the Dallas 13.
The Cowboys rebound from an offensive pass interference penalty on Witten which cancelled out a third down conversion as Romo fires a 13-yard completion on third to Williams to earn the first down again at their own 24.
Dunbar gets a handoff from Romo and finds a hole through the middle of the line and turns on the jets for a huge gain of 45 yards to move them to the Raiders' 25 before he's brought down by Adams. A potential momentum swinger in this game.
Romo keeps his side moving as he manages to escape the rush and offloads the ball to Murray who waits at the first down marker and makes the catch to move the chains at the Oakland 15. The Cowboys are into a very dangerous area of the field now.
The Cowboys see a touchdown by Murray ruled out for holding after he reeled off a 12-yard run but the officials brought it back. However, Romo gets the first down for his side with two short completions to Beasley for eight and five yards respectively. That moves them to the Oakland four-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
The Cowboys draw level as Romo puts the ball up for Bryant to go up and make a grab above Jenkins and he does just that leaping about eight feet in the air to make the catch for the four-yard score, for this ninth receiving touchdown of the season.
Jones returns the ball to the Oakland 25 where McGloin will begin.
The Raiders go three and out as McGloin throws three incompletions as the Cowboys bring the rush to hurry him in his throws and none of receivers could get open down the field forcing the punt from King which is taken to the Dallas 35 by Beasley.
Witten picks up a crucial third down pickup as Romo fires to him in the flat and he beats two men to get the first down and a lot more for a gain of 19 yards to take his side to the Oakland 42. That could be huge in the game as he should have been brought down before the marker.
The Cowboys keep the chains moving as Romo hands the ball off to Dunbar for a gain of nine yards on first down then another four yards on second to move his side to the Oakland 29. The home side are beginning to turn the screw.
Dunbar gets the carry again and runs over the left-hand side of the line and gets the first down for his side with a pick up of five yards to earn another set of downs at the Oakland 17, after Romo found Murray on a checkdown on first for seven yards.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Oakland Raiders 21-21 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys run for one yard on first down but are moved to the seven-yard line thanks to a personal foul on Murray who appeared to take a swing at Free. That is not what the Raiders needed there.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
The Cowboys take the lead for the first time in the game as Murray gets the handoff from Romo and he powers through the line over the right guard Bernadeu and sprints into the endzone for the seven-yard score.
Jones returns the kickoff to the 20 where McGloin will begin.
The Raiders go three and out yet again as McFadden is pushed out of bounds on first for no gain and comes back on second and gets six yards but on third McGloin looks deep for Holmes but they're not on the same page and the pass falls incomplete out of bounds. King's punt is taken to the 26 by Beasley.
Romo is sacked on third down and six by Roach who manages to knock the ball out of his hands, fortunately for the quarterback he recovers the ball. After some running success Dunbar and Murray could only find six yards on first and second on that drive. Jones's punt is taken to the Oakland 43 by Greg Jenkins.
McGloin gets his side moving immediately as he fires a ball to a wide open Holmes over the middle of the field and he sprints with the ball to the Dallas 21 for a 35-yard reception.
INTERCEPTION COWBOYS!
McGloin throws deep to the endzone looking for Ford on the go route but Carr makes a play on the ball and catches the ball for the pick ahead of the receiver to kill the drive and save his side from conceding points. The Cowboys will have the ball on the 20.
The Cowboys move the chains as Murray gets eight on first down and Dunbar follows that up with a yard on second, on third Murray gets the handoff and powers through the line for the tough yard to earn his side another set of downs and takes time off the clock.
The Cowboys earn a huge break as Bryant gets a flag for pass interference as Chekwa interfered with a Romo back-shoulder throw to the receiver, that will earn the Cowboys 14 yards and another set of downs at the Oakland 49. That was a harsh call.
Despite being set back to second and 15 the Cowboys earn the first down as Bryant gets 13 yards back immediately on a comeback route as he stops and gets free from his man and turns catches the ball and goes out of bounds. Murray gets the remaining two on a power play through the middle of the line.
Murray gets the handoff again as he powers over the left side of the line behind Smith for an 11-yard gain before he gets pushed out of bounds at the Oakland 27.
Another Murray run over the right side of the line this time and he gets the first down with a gain of five yards as he stiff armed Adams to stop him bringing him down on the line. Romo got the team moving with a nine-yard completion to Bryant on first on a slant route.
The Cowboys can't punch the ball into the endzone as the Raiders make a defensive stand to stop them on three plays as Murray can't get into the endzone on third and goal from the three-yard line and that will force Bailey into a 18-yard field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Bailey makes no mistake with the kick firing it through the posts to make it an 11-point game.
McGloin gets the ball at the 20 where he will try the impossible to get his side level.
McGloin moves the chains as he fires over the middle of the field for Streater to move his side to their own 40 but the clock is still moving.
McGloin fires downfield to Holmes on a deep out route and he hauls the catch in and gets both feet in bounds to the Dallas 38 for the 24-yard reception.
McGloin goes short over the middle to Ford for 11 yards and that will set up Janikowski for a 45-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Janikowski brings his team within seven points and now he will attempt an onside kick to try and steal his side another possession.
Heath recovers the onside kick and that was an extremely poor attempt by Janikowski as the ball didn't travel 10 yards. He didn't give his side a chance there.
Romo takes a knee to end the game.
FULL-TIME: Oakland Raiders 24-31 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have shown some real character to come back to win this game after trailing by seven points at the break.
Romo and his side's running backs Lance Dunbar and DeMarco Murray got them back into the game with tough running between the tackles and some accurate throws. They showed their class against a tiring Oakland defense to rack up 17 points in the second half.
The Raiders will be disappointed to have lost this after looking in control for the majority of the first half. Their defense couldn't keep up the same level of their performance from the first and their running game fell apart putting too much pressure on their rookie quarterback. McGloin and Holmes had really good games for their side but they were pretty much alone in making plays.
Dallas will move to 7-5 in their season and their hopes of reaching the playoffs have really been boosted now backing up their win over the New York Giants on Sunday. The Raiders are now 4-8 and if their campaign wasn't over beforehand, it most certainly is now.
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. Be sure to check out our coverage of the clash between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers later this morning. But from me, it's goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
