Cowboys Vs. Raiders: Points Few And Far Between On MNF

Pryor, who saw action in the fourth quarter and finished 8-for-15 with 50-passing yards, was playing for the first time in almost two seasons. Teammate Matt Lienhart said the Ohio State alum was being a bit harsh on himself.

The Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys played what’s being described as a pretty uneventful Monday Night Football game -- even by preseason standards -- as Dallas picked up the 3-0 victory in its first game of the exhibition season. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the diehard Raiders fans were disappointed in what they saw on national television, though.

In fact, Oakland’s contingency over at Silver And Black Pride found multiple bright spots despite their team getting shut out in the exhibition affair including a solid showing for their starting defensive line.

Obviously, Dallas fans have some concern over the fact that their offense only mustered three points over 60 minutes of football. But it’s only preseason, something Cowboys fans have to realize:

Drummond was also not particularly impressed by the Cowboys’ defense, despite the shutout, calling the first-team defensive line “a bit effortless”, but on the plus side, they were playing against the Raiders, and mainly against their backups. Which is how you get a shutout.

The Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders opened up their preseason on Monday at O.co Coliseum. ESPN certainly picked the right game to broadcast nationally, as it was all-out war! Just kidding. It was a 3-0 win by the Cowboys and was absolutely wretched football all around -- even by preseason standards.

The people at ESPN figured out fairly early on that the most entertaining thing about the game -- like, by such a huge margin that it’s not even funny -- was the Raiders fans in attendance, resplendent in their full plumage a full month before the actual NFL season begins.

The preseason opener between the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders is in the books. Dallas came away with a 3-0 win at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Monday.

The highlight? Probably the announcers losing their grip on sanity.

Raiders fans like to dress up. If you have a distinct enough costume in the famous “Black Hole,” you can get to become a verified legend and quasi-celebrity in the East Bay. You could etch your name in the annals alongside such notable Raiders fans as Gorilla Rilla. Malkamania. Pirate Guy. Loud Drunken Fan. Smelly Joe. The list goes on.

“Pinhead” from Hellraiser seems like a pretty good costume. Distinctive. Iconic. And this guy obviously put a lot of love into the thing. But we think he may be divided in his rooting interests. Let’s take a look.

Pryor finished the half with 18 yards off of two completions on four attempts. He also ran the ball a couple of times for negative yardage.

Both teams have looked rather listless on offense, which can be expected considering each team is throwing its third-string quarterback out on the field right now.

Seriously. They don’t come any classier than this.

For the latest on the Dallas Cowboys, be sure to check out Blogging the Boys and SB Nation Dallas. For all things Oakland Raiders, check out Silver & Black Pride, as well as SB Nation Bay Area.

The Raiders and the Cowboys have a total of 15 first downs between the two teams, for a total of 269 yards. That is the well over the length of two football fields. Unfortunately, that hasn’t translated to any points, as both teams remain deadlocked at 0-0 going into halftime.

While the Raiders offense has struggled, its defense has been absolutely punishing the Cowboys. They have limited the Cowboys to 61 total yards on 19 plays. The Cowboys have possessed the ball for less than 11 minutes.

Ever wonder how long it takes for the clutches of preseason football madness to ensnare your mind? About 30 minutes, apparently.

DIDJA SEE IT, MIKEY? DAMN PTERODACTYL STOLE MY NACHOS

A short checklist, just to make sure all of the elements are present;

- At least two pieces of Raiders clothing

Related: Get pumped about punting, Raiders fans

Touchback!

Raiders fans are definitely hoping that “the highlight of the first quarter was a punt” isn’t something that will need to be written with great regularity over the course of the season. The Raiders may in fact end up being a very competitive team this year. But just on the off chance they’re not -- you know, just in case -- it’s probably a good idea to learn how to celebrate the little things. Like a great punt.

Here, let King show you how:

Carson Palmer threw an interception on the Raiders’ first drive, yet the Cowboys failed to take advantage as a make-shift offensive line kept Tony Romo and his offense from gaining any momentum. Dez Bryant, who was a game-time decision with a hamstring injury, made a leaping grab along the sideline on the Cowboys’ only big play of the quarter.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden showed some flash in the first few plays of the game, yet was quickly replaced by Lonyae Miller as the Raiders aim to keep their star back as healthy as possible. The Cowboys’ defense was able to get a few stops, but several penalties on fourth down gave the ball back to Oakland on two separate occasions on one drive.

Before the game even got started, the most Raiders thing possible happened. Jon Gruden — beloved in Oakland and returning to the city for the first time in about a decade — was greeted enthusiastically by the denizens of the “Black Hole” in the end zone. So of course this happened:

If you’re not familiar with the Oakland Raiders and their fan base, no, you’re not having hallucinations brought about by football madness. This is a real thing that happened. If you need further explanation, let the picture below serve as Exhibit A of “Raiders fans.”

Bryant, who suffered a mild hamstring strain, is considered a game-time decision. Bryant participated with the starters during Saturday’s walkthrough practice and considered himself “fine,” but Jason Garrett and the Cowboys might decide to err on the side of caution with their explosive wide receiver.

The Cowboys have already ruled out Austin, who suffered a hamstring strain on Aug. 5. Austin was plagued by hamstring injuries in 2011, and was limited to just 43 receptions in 10 games consequently.

Oh, and for those out there watching this game because there’s money on the line, the latest NFL odds indicate that the homefield Raiders are slight 1.5-point favorites.

Game Date/Time: Monday, Aug. 13; 8 p.m. ET