by PegNews wire

Cowboys get back on track against vastly inferior Raiders.

ARLINGTON — The Dallas Cowboys got their offense back on track Thursday afternoon in Arlington, defeating the sad-sack Oakland Raiders 24-7 in the new Cowboys Stadium. The win improved Dallas to 8-3, a full game and a half over the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East, and two games above the free-falling New York Giants.

The Cowboys' offense, which had dozed through the previous two games with just 14 points, shredded the Raiders for 494 total yards. Tony Romo had yet another stellar Thanksgiving performance, going 18-of-29 for 309 yards, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Romo was helped out by a balanced attack for once, as the Dallas ground game gained 195 yards rushing on a mere 25 carries.

All three Dallas running backs -- Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice -- gained 61 or more yards, and both Miles Austin (7 catches, 145 yards, and a touchdown) and Jason Witten (5 catches, 107 yards) went over the 100+ yard mark, the first time since 2006 that two Cowboys receivers accomplished the feat in the same game.

At 8-3, the Cowboys must now face their most insurmountable nemesis: December games. Over the past four seasons, the Cowboys have had four December collapses, including two heartbreaking playoff losses. The Cowboys' next five opponents are the 6-5 NY Giants, the 7-3 San Diego Chargers, the 10-0 New Orleans Saints, and the 3-7 Washington Redskins, before finishing the season once again against the Philadelphia Eagles, who are 6-4 and likely will be right with Dallas in the running for the NFC East title at that point.

Posted by Todd M.

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