Sports Illustrated’s Raider Maven goes behind enemy lines for the latest info on the Las Vegas Raiders’ upcoming opponents for the 2021 NFL season, straight from the source that covers it.
Raider Nation is ready for a feast as the Raiders travel to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day to take on the Cowboys.
In a primetime game, both teams have a chance to showcase their strong offensives, but there’s going to be one team this year that everyone at HBO’s Hard Knocks will get a lot closer to and that is the Cowboys.
“We had a conversation the other day with Dave Campo, the former head coach of the Cowboys. Things didn’t go well when he was the head coach and he was involved in that first round of hard knocks. And he told us, it’s a distraction and Mike McCarthy sure as hell doesn’t need it, “said journalist Mike Fisher.
Emmy-winning journalist and author of two bestselling books on the cowboys, Mike Fisher recently joined Raider Mavens as radio editor and publisher, Hondo Carpenter. Carpenter hosted the morning show “Prich & Clay” together with Clay Baker Raider Nation Radio (LINK TO LIVE LIVE).
Both teams struggled with red zone ownership last year and the Cowboys are just hoping their starting players are healthy enough to be on the field.
“It obviously starts with (quarterback) Dak Prescott, who was out with that gruesome leg injury in Week 5. He was well on his way to producing monster numbers and they think it will happen this year too,” Fisher said. “We’re going to have a rebound season for Zeke Elliott.”
The Cowboys also have one of the best wide receiver groups with ex-raider Amari Cooper, Cee Dee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
The offensive line saw the departure of Travis Frederick into early retirement. Zach Martin, Tyron Smith, and La’el Collins went out all season, and all three should be healthy and ready to go.
The cowboys were extremely dissatisfied with the teaching ability of these staff as they tried to install a new defense, new terminology with new players during the Covid-19 restrictions through Zoom meetings.
So now the Raiders will see new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have a different kind of philosophy than Mike Nolan a year ago.
The Cowboys and the rest of the NFC East can be found under .500. It will be a huge disappointment and Coach McCarthy will be in trouble if they fail to finish above .500 this season, especially on a 17 schedule.
The Raiders will be in a showdown in Dallas; expect both offenses to score points.
This game depends on the wire and which defense increases in the end.
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