Published Nov 14, 12:01pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Nov 14, 12:01pm ET
Grok AI
Updated Nov 14, 12:01pm ET
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|---|---|
| Las Vegas Raiders | +3.5 (-117) |
| Dallas Cowboys | -3.5 (-103) |
Dallas will take the field with heavy hearts after the tragic death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. They had a bye week to try to make sense of it and recover as much as they could.
As they try to move on, their on-field issues — specifically their defense — need to be addressed. The Cowboys have surrendered more than 40 points three times this season. They've also scored more than 40 points twice. If they had even a passable defense, they would be playoff contenders with the scoring firepower to threaten every team in the league in the postseason.
In Week 9 against the similarly struggling Cardinals, they lost 27-17 with their offense largely smothered by a bad team. Arizona's journeyman backup QB Jacoby Brissett looked like a Pro Bowler, completing 21 of 31 passes for 261 yards and 2 TDs. He rushed for another and amassed a 115.1 passer rating.
"Big win on the road, and we needed it bad."
— ESPN (@espn) November 4, 2025
Jacoby Brissett talks to @LauraRutledge after an MNF win against the Cowboys 🔥👏 pic.twitter.com/OP3GINWXPT
No disrespect to Brissett, but it's only a slight exaggeration to think that 69-year-old Joe Montana could come out of retirement and tear apart the Cowboys' defense.
They're near the bottom of the league in defensive passing yards per game, defensive rushing yards per game, and points allowed per game. Obviously, trading for Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson should help. They certainly can't be much worse.
QB Dak Prescott is having one of his best seasons. Javonte Williams has been a brilliant free agent pickup at running back. They can score with anyone, but they will inevitably be outscored by everyone.
| PLAYER | STATUS |
|---|---|
| Tyler Smith, G | INJURED |
| Solomon Thomas, DT | INJURED |
| Malik Hooker, S | INJURED |
| Donovan Wilson, S | INJURED |
| Dante Fowler, DE | INJURED |
| Juanyeh Thomas, S | INJURED |
| Ajani Cornelius, OT | INJURED |
| Alijah Clark, S | INJURED |
With their 2-7 start, speculation again centers on what owner Mark Davis (and part-owner Tom Brady) will do with the football ops after the season. Objectively, firing Pete Carroll would be based on little more than his age (74) than whether they think he's the answer as head coach. With his resume, if he were a decade younger, there would be optimism that he'd turn the team around.
They need a quarterback, as Geno Smith is not the answer. But they have pieces in place with tight end Brock Bowers, running back Ashton Jeanty, and defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Against the Broncos in Week 10, a painful 10-7 loss, Smith was 16 of 26 for 143 yards and 1 pick on a deflection. Jeanty ran for 60 yards on 19 carries. Newcomer Tyler Lockett caught 5 passes for 44 yards.
With that interception, Geno Smith now leads the league in interceptions with 12, passing Tua Tagovailoa for the most this season. pic.twitter.com/VhErj9vY7t
— Preme Football (@premefootball) November 7, 2025
Their defense held Denver QB Bo Nix to 150 yards passing. Holding the Broncos to 10 points should have given the Raiders a win, but scoring has been an on-again, off-again problem for them.
Dallas, new acquisitions or not, should cure them of that.
The Raiders' defense is middle of the pack statistically. Their offense is near the bottom in every category.
| PLAYER | STATUS |
|---|---|
| Tyler Lockett, WR | INJURED |
| Cody Lindenberg, LB | INJURED |
| Jackson Powers-Johnson, C | INJURED |
| Aidan O'Connell, QB | INJURED |
For Week 11 Cowboys-Raiders, neither team is going anywhere in 2025 and will have multiple questions in the offseason. If any NFL team would be a landing spot for Bill Belichick, it's Dallas because of his genius as a defensive mind. For now, they are still in shock from recent events and are facing a hellish schedule after playing the Raiders.
Las Vegas has more problems than Dallas does and seemingly fewer coherent answers. Still, the Cowboys' intensifying challenges and the Raiders' decent defense should keep the game within 2.5 points for the home underdogs to cover it.
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Pick
Las Vegas Raiders +2.5
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