‘We love Marshawn’: Prescott shines as Cowboys win first game since Kneeland’s death | NFL

Dak Prescott passed for 268 yards and four touchdowns, and Dallas topped the Las Vegas Raiders 33-16 Monday night in the Cowboys’ first game since the death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.

Kneeland, 24, died on November 6. Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer and Cowboys players wore jerseys honoring Kneeland and bowed their heads during a moment of silence before the game.

“It was a blessing to be on the field, that’s where the healing happens for me,” said Prescott, whose brother Jace died in 2020. “We love Marshawn and will continue to shine his light. We are blessed to carry his light forward.”

The Cowboys (4-5-1) played one of their best games of the season to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Dallas had lost three of four and had games coming up against Philadelphia, Kansas City and Detroit.

Las Vegas (2-8) continued its descent under Pete Carroll in his first year as the team’s head coach. The Raiders have lost four straight and eight of nine.

Prescott was accurate – minus one miss from a wide-open CeeDee Lamb for an easy touchdown – completing 25 of 44 passes to end his four-game winless streak in prime time. His four TD passes tied a season high, matching his total from October 5 against the New York Jets.

He pitched primarily to George Pickens and Lamb. Pickens (nine catches, 144 yards, one touchdown) and Lamb (five receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown) produced big numbers despite Schottenheimer benching them for the Cowboys’ first drive. Javonte Williams provided balance for the Cowboys by rushing for 93 yards on 22 carries.

The Raiders had little balance, with 32 pass plays called and three runs — Geno Smith also ran for seven yards — in the first half alone. They became just the third team since at least 1991 with 30 or more losses and four or fewer points in the first half. The four rushes were also the Raiders’ second-fewest number in a first half since at least that year; they made three points against Atlanta in a 2008 game.

Las Vegas finished with 12 runs, tied for 12th in franchise history. The air-it-out approach didn’t work, with Smith finishing 27 of 42 for 238 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

The Cowboys defense made sure Smith had few opportunities to run the offense, sacking him four times, including 1.5 following recent trade acquisition Quinnen Williams. Dallas sent the Jets a 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith for Williams.

Before the game, Cowboys players bowed their heads for a moment of silence in honor of their late teammate. A photo of Kneeland was shown on the video boards at Allegiant Stadium.

Dallas players wore blue T-shirts with Kneeland’s name, the years of his life — 2001-2025 — and the team’s star logo beneath an image of his face. A sticker of his number, 94, was on the back of their helmets and will remain there for the remainder of the season.

The team prepared a locker room for Kneeland at the stadium and his jersey was placed on a hanger. Dallas had just taken a week off, giving the team a little more time to deal with his death.

• In the United States, call or text Mental Health America to 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support is available from Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 and MensLine on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111.