The Cowboys and Raiders both rallied through turnaround seasons in 2016 to make surprising playoff appearances. A bevy of hype and the hope created by MVP-play from young quarterbacks made each club a popular pick to find their spot in Super Bowl 52. But after a disappointing 2017, each of these storied franchises is fighting for its playoff life.
Cowboys vs. Raiders 2017: Time, TV schedule for ‘Sunday Night Football’
Two teams fighting for their playoff lives meet in prime time on the West Coast.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas is 7-6 with only a Wild Card spot to fight for after watching the Eagles extinguish their chances at defending their NFC East crown. Oakland is still alive in the messy AFC West, but a 6-7 record means one more loss could effectively squash their postseason hopes. The two meet on Sunday Night Football, broadcast live at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream).
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: NBC Sports Live, FuboTV
- Odds: Dallas is favored by 3 points.
Cowboys at Raiders news:
- Kareem Hunt’s revival against the Raiders could mean big things for a Cowboys’ running game that’s been inconsistent without Ezekiel Elliott.
What was especially important about the showing against the Raiders was the fact that Kareem Hunt got back on track. In the first five games of the season, the rookie running back had 609 yards rushing, 166 yards receiving, and six total touchdowns. But during the Chiefs’ rough seven-game stretch, he never cracked 90 yards rushing or receiving, and he never found the end zone.
That streak finally ended Sunday with 116 yards rushing, 22 yards receiving, and a 1-yard touchdown run.
2017 has been weird in many capacities for the Cowboys, including the will-they-or-won’t-they issue of suspension that hovered over Ezekiel Elliott for so much of it.
The reality is that, while they are still technically mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, the Cowboys have been underwhelming this season by a wide margin.
- The Raiders won’t fire offensive coordinator Todd Downing — at least until the season is over.
Bay Area radio host Damon Bruce asked Del Rio point blank today if Downing would be retained and Del Rio said flatly “Yes.”
Downing has been under fire much of the season, having taken over the Raiders 6th ranked offense last season under Bill Musgrave and dropping them to among the worst in the NFL and now 19th this season through 13 games.
- The Cowboys blew up their secondary in 2017 in order to make it better in 2018 and beyond.
Instead of shelling out that kind of money [to retain their veteran starters], the Cowboys went the cheap route as they looked to find some young talent to replace these older veterans. Here are the guys currently assigned to that task and their annual costs:
Can the Raiders rebound from last week’s devastating loss to the Chiefs?
Oakland suffered a momentum-crushing loss last week when the Chiefs reverted back to early-season form in a 27-16 victory in Kansas City. That leaves the Raiders one game behind the AFC West leaders with just three games to play — a situation that leaves little room for error. Derek Carr needed 41 passes to throw for just 211 yards in defeat; he’ll need to regain the MVP form that defined his breakout 2016 season for Oakland to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Cowboys at Raiders prediction:
The humans and the machine disagree on this one. All eight of our experts tabbed the Cowboys to win in their Week 15 picks. OddsShark’s computer went with a Raiders victory.
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