Cowboys, Raiders match storied histories, fans in crucial Sunday Night game

Two of the NFL’s most storied franchises, with equally storied fans, meet Sunday night when the Oakland Raiders (6-7) host the Dallas Cowboys (7-6).

The game has playoff, although slim, ramifications as the loser is likely out of the postseason hunt.

Despite their pedigrees, the teams have only met 11 times, with the Raiders holding a 6-5 edge in the series.

The first time these teams met was the final game of the 1974 season. The Cowboys lost 27-23 in Oakland on Dec. 14 to end the season with an 8-6 record. The most recent meeting was on Thanksgiving Day in 2013 with the Cowboys winning 31-24 at AT&T Stadium.

Here are five storylines to watch:

Dak’s encore

Dak Prescott is coming off a career-best 332 passing yards with three touchdowns against the Giants. He hadn’t surpassed the 200-yard mark in the previous four games. Prescott and the offense appear to have found their stride in life without Ezekiel Elliott. Prescott has to carry the offense once more without his star running back, and seems to be in a favorable position to do so. After all, the Raiders have the 25th-ranked pass defense in the league.

Last dance

Elliott’s return will be a welcomed sight. This is the team’s biggest playmaker and home-run threat even though they’re coming off a game in which they had three 50-plus plays in the passing game. Rod Smith excelled in the running and passing game, and Alfred Morris has gotten the job done with a full workload.

Receiving threats

The Cowboys’ big plays against the Giants might spark the finishing stretch for Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley. Neither are having eye-opening seasons but have flashed versions of their former selves during the season. Bryant has yet to have a 100-yard receiving game, but he and Prescott seem closer to being on the same page. And Beasley showed his elusiveness on a career-long 54-yard reception against the Giants. In fact, Beasley hadn’t even had a game with that many yards this season.

The General

Linebacker Sean Lee was credited with 20 tackles against the Giants, his first game back after a three-game absence with a hamstring injury. Lee clearly makes the defense better and his leadership and skills on the field are desperately missed when he’s injured. Lee put an exclamation point on his return with an interception, the 13th in his career.

Special matters

Long-snapper L.P. Ladouceur made his NFL debut in Oakland a dozen years ago, getting the nod with the Cowboys for their October 2005 game vs. the Raiders in Oakland. He’s played more than 200 games with Dallas since. Jason Witten is the only other active player who was on the team back then. Speaking of special teams, kicker Dan Bailey is coming off his worst game. He made one of three field goal attempts and missed his first career point-after attempt. It was an uncharacteristic game for Bailey.

This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Cowboys, Raiders match storied histories, fans in crucial Sunday Night game."