Breakdown: Raiders vs. Cowboys

Put an X on em:

Put an X on Bruce Carter. Carter didn't have a bad game in New York. He put up 7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss. Even on a short week Carter should improve with the absence of General Lee. Carters maturation will be two fold. 1 the way he reacts to running plays were he is best at (considering McFadden will be playing Thursday). 2. Giving directions and calling out the defensive calls. In New York there wasn't people out of place and the only mistake the defense made was the missed tackle (or missed touch) Carter and Heath had.

The way I see it: Thanksgiving Games in Dallas have always been good for this team and playing the Raiders is even better. The Cowboys have a record of 28-15 on Thanksgiving and boasting a league high of .636 winning percentage of teams that have played more than 10 games on turkey day.

This doesn't mean we can take the Raiders lightly. Oakland is ranked 4th in the NFL in rushing. While the Cowboys are 30th against the run. Considering Pryor may return doesn't make things any better. After we gave up 202 yards on the ground to New York this should be a concern. Oakland also has a top 10 defense in rushing yards allowed. For a team that struggles running the ball it will be interesting to see if we even try to run it. Or will Garrett have Romo Chuck it 30+ times again.

Keys to the game: 

1. Keep Oakland under 130 rushing yards total. This teams likes to run and we have to dare them to beat us through the air.