Gameday is always a whirlwind when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys. What we think will happen is rarely what actually happens. What actually happens goes by in a blur. And when all is said and done, there's a new week's worth of aftermath to sort out, good or bad. The DallasCowboys.com staff is always there to cover every aspect.
The day after each game this season Further Review will give a chance to catch your breath and look back at what actually happened. What did we think going in? What happened? And what does it all mean?
The Warm Up:
- The Dallas Cowboys are part of Thanksgiving tradition throughout America, but the intensity at AT&T Stadium is hard to match [Relive the goosebumps of the Raiders vs Cowboys hype video]
- Luke Combs put on a show at halftime of the Thanksgiving game, but he was just carrying on a tradition from Reba to Destiny's Child [Check out the top 25 Thanksgiving Day halftime performances]
- Nick Eatman got one prediction right before the game. "Now it is Thanksgiving, so weird plays are expected. And a weird score at the end will probably happen," Eatman wrote [But was Eatman or any of the DallasCowboy.com staff writers willing to pick Vegas in their gut feelings?]
- NFL analyst Bucky Brooks was concerned about the short turnaround between games. "With Cowboys intent on getting back on track, the quick turnaround time will require the coaches to place an emphasis on fundamentals and effort over schematics this week," Brooks wrote [Read all of 5 Bucks heading into the matchup]
Game Time:
- Micah Parsons showed up to the NFL and immediately started making an impact [Watch him set the Dallas Cowboys record for most sacks by a rookie]
- Anthony Brown struggled all game against the Raiders [Watch him talk about his worst game of the season]
- The Cowboys couldn't secure a victory, but Thursday's game was still a showcase of what Dak Prescott is capable of [Watch Dak’s best plays from Thanksgiving]
- Plenty happened in Thursday's game, but immediately after it ended only one thing stood out for Isaiah Stanback: 14 penalties, 166 yards [Watch Stanback and two other former Cowboys react to the game on First Word]
What now?
- Ezekiel Elliott gutted through a knee injury, but the Cowboys still came up short [Watch Zeke talk about the Cowboys’ running struggles in the loss]
- Maybe your aunt was distracting you or you were busy tending to the turkey and you missed a portion of the game. Kurt Daniels has you covered with the moments and statistics that explain the overtime loss [Read Daniels’ game recap to figure out exactly what happened]
- Perhaps the play of the game ultimately didn't count when Keanu Neal's dive to send a fumble into the hands of Jayron Kearse was overturned by the officials. "So the Raiders kept the ball and had to punt, pinning the Cowboys back at their own 7-yard line, a difference in nearly 60 yards of field position," Nick Eatman wrote [Read about all five of the crucial plays that Eatman doesn’t want you to forget about]
- There were changes to the offensive line before the game and during the game and all it seemed to accomplish was confusion among everyone watching [Read Jonny Auping trying to make sense of the offensive line rotations]
