Raiders vs. Cowboys 2013, Week 13: DeMarco Murray, Dallas rally to win vs. Oakland

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Things were looking up for the Raiders, but after their third score of the first half, they had to kick the ball back. The Cowboys took over possession, and the game was downhill from there according to Levi Damien at Raiders blog Silver And Black Pride.

At 4-8 overall, the Raiders are admittedly a bad team. That said, the Cowboys have managed to lose to seemingly overmatched opponents in the past. According to Tom Ryle at Cowboys blog Blogging The Boys, the Cowboys’ win Thursday proved that the team is resilient. Dallas was able to assert its position atop the NFC East standings as a result.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, couldn’t get into rhythm on offense. Just ask Doug Free how dominant the Raiders were.

The Cowboys’ win pushed them to 7-5 on the year and gave them a half-game lead in the NFC East. The Eagles can match their record with a win Dec. 1 vs. Arizona.

Heath was not flagged for the late hit that was obviously incidental. Jennings was immediately looked at on the field and was taken to the locker room shortly after the examination. Darren McFadden handled the rest of the running back responsibilities on the drive, which ended in a Raiders field goal. McFadden lost his starting job to Jennings due to the latter’s performance while the Arkansas alum was sidelined with an injury.

Jennings did not return to the game. The Cowboys won the game by a score of 31-24.

Murray joins some elite company with his performance: Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith accomplished the feat nine times in his Cowboys career. Duane Thomas and Calvin Hill scored three rushing touchdowns in a game twice. Other former Cowboys to accomplish the three scores are Tony Dorsett, Ron Springs and Don Perkins. The team record is four rushing touchdowns in a game, done twice by Smith and once by Hill.

Murray has now scored seven rushing touchdowns this season and has 13 scores on the ground for his career. The Cowboys lead the Raiders early in the fourth quarter by a score of 28-21.

Doug “Freedom Fries” Free didn’t exactly stick with this block very well, not that he really had a chance to, but still ...

He practiced that technique at the company retreat.

The Cowboys managed to keep the game close, scoring a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the half when Murray punched it in from 4 yards.

All in all, the half was uneventful. Both teams relied on the running game and didn’t have a ton of fireworks. Williams’ fumble on the opening kick off was the only turnover of the half.

Dennis Allen has caught more Tony Romo passes than Dez Bryant, so far.

Don’t give Reggie McKenzie any ideas, coach.

Here is the complete list of inactives for the Cowboys-Raiders games:

Raiders

Game Date/Time and Location: Thursday, Nov. 28, 4:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.

TV schedule and distribution map: CBS; The506.com

This season, McFadden has 352 rushing yards on the ground with 3.6 yards per carry. The Arkansas native has only eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier once, back in 2010. Outside of that year, McFadden has never gone over 707 rushing yards in a season.

Once 2013 over, McFadden will be a free agent for the first time in his career. Whether or not Oakland brings him back could hinge on whether he stays healthy going forward. Certainly talented, McFadden has unfortunately had his body betray him throughout the years.

The Cowboys own the worst defense in the league, however, and are allowing 432.2 yards per game. Dallas is surrendering 25.4 points per game this season. However, the team’s offense is putting up 27.1 points per contest.

The Raiders have started three different quarterback this season and have seemingly settled on undrafted rookie Matt McGloin. Oakland is 1-1 under McGloin’s watch and he performed admirably in both starts. The Raiders offense is producing 19.4 points per game.

The Cowboys have scored a lot of points this season but have also given up a ton of scores. For that reason, the over/under for Thursday’s game is 45.5 points. The Cowboys have averaged 27.1 points on offense, while giving up 25.4 points on defense. For the Raiders, a 19.4 points per game total is pretty weak, considering they give up 24.5 points on the other side of the ball.

Dallas will host Oakland at 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday on CBS.

Whether Terrelle Pryor or McGloin moves forward as Oakland’s starting quarterback, having Veldheer healthy and playing is a big plus for the Raiders. He’s been the best player on Oakland’s offensive line over the last two seasons.

As for Wilson, he’ll have to hope he gets picked up by another team this time around. Otherwise, he’ll be back on the Raiders’ practice squad. If he’s lucky.

That type of production can’t be ignored, said Raiders coach Dennis Allen.

“You can’t deny Rashad Jennings over the last month of the season has led the NFL in yards from scrimmage,” Allen said. “I think he’s earned the right and deserves the right to continue to get his carries and touches and we’ll still do that.”

As far as SB Nation’s panel of experts is concerned, the Raiders won’t succeed in that effort, however. All six of the experts -- Ryan Van Bibber, Joel Thorman, Jason Chilton, Stephen White, David Fucillo and Matt Ufford -- believe that the Cowboys are primed to win this one at home.

All of the experts over at CBS Sports think the Cowboys will win this one, as well. That list includes guys like Pete Prisco, Jason La Canfora and Will Brinson. The Raiders aren’t getting much love at this point.