DALLAS — Turkey time cometh, which can only mean one thing: the Dallas Cowboys will be playing football in front of a stuffed and thankful nation on Thanksgiving. The quick turnaround for a Thursday game couldn’t come at a better time for Dallas as they aim to put their 19-9 loss in Week 11 to the Kansas City Chiefs behind them.
The Las Vegas Raiders are the opponents who will venture to Arlington for the annual Thanksgiving contest. After beginning the season 3-0, the Raiders have faced turmoil off the field and strife on it as they’ve gone 2-5 in their last seven games to find themselves mired in the middle of the AFC West.
Las Vegas was most recently downed 32-13 by the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11. With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys close out their slate against AFC West:
SERIES FACTS (10)
-The Cowboys are 7-3 for the 13th time in team history. Here are the final fates of the previous 12 teams:
- Missed playoffs: 2005
- Lost wildcard: 1998, 2003
- Lost divisional: 1985, 2009, 2014
- Lost conference: 1973, 1980
- Lost NFL title game/Super Bowl: 1967, 1975
- Won Super Bowl: 1971, 1993
-Since 1990, 88 of the 95 teams that started 8-3 made the playoffs with 62 of those 88 having won the division.
-Since 1990, teams that started 7-4 made the playoffs 99 of 141 times with 41 of those 99 having won the division.
-The Raiders are 5-5 for the seventh time in team history. None of the previous five teams made the playoffs, although the 1994 team finished with a 9-7 record.
-Since 1990, just 19 of 143 teams that were 5-6 made the playoffs with six of those teams ultimately winning the division.
-Since 1990, teams that started 6-5 made the playoffs 61 of 136 times with 23 of those 61 clubs having won the division.
-The Cowboys are 6-6 against the Raiders all-time.
-The Cowboys are 2-3 against the Raiders at home. Here is breakdown by venue:
- Texas Stadium: 0-3
- AT&T Stadium: 2-0
-The Cowboys are 3-1 against the Raiders in November with a 2-1 record at home.
-Dallas is 5-4 against the Raiders when possessing the better record ahead of the match-up with a 2-3 record at home.
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (11)
-Prescott has 20 touchdown passes, the ninth-most in the NFL.
-Prescott has benefited from 1,275 yards after the catch, the 10th-most in the league.
-Prescott is tied with Aaron Rodgers for the ninth-highest yards per pass attempt at 7.8.
-Prescott is tied with Justin Herbert, Carson Wentz, and Trevor Lawrence for the 10th-lowest completed air yards per completion at 5.6.
-Prescott has the sixth-highest passer rating in the NFL at 103.9.
-Prescott has been blitzed 115 times, the fourth-highest in the NFL.
-Prescott has been sacked 4.6% of the time on dropbacks, the ninth-lowest in the league.
-Prescott has been pressured on 19.7% of his dropbacks, the sixth-highest in the NFL.
-Prescott is tied for the 10th-highest pocket time in the NFL at 2.4 seconds.
-Among quarterbacks who have started at least nine games, Prescott’s 65.8% completion percentage on third down is the fifth-highest in the NFL.
-Among quarterbacks who have started at least nine games, Prescott’s fifth-highest passer rating on third down at 107.4.
DEREK CARR FACTS (11)
-Carr has the third-most passing yards at 3,041.
-Carr has benefited from 1,360 yards after the catch, the sixth-most in the league.
-Carr has the fourth-highest intended air yards at 3,137.
-Carr is tied with Kirk Cousins for the fifth-most pass attempts at 374.
-Carr is tied with Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Taylor Heinicke for the sixth-most interceptions with nine.
-Carr has the sixth-highest yards per pass attempt at 8.1.
-Carr is tied with Matthew Stafford for the eighth-most intended air yards per pass attempt at 8.4.
-Carr is tied with Mac Jones, Heinicke, and Sam Darnold for the eighth-most sacks with 22.
-Carr is tied for the 10th-highest time in the pocket at 2.4 seconds.
-Carr has had nine of his passes batted at the line of scrimmage, tied with Jalen Hurts for the third-most in the NFL.
-Carr has had 3.9% of his passes dropped, tied with Joe Burrow for the seventh-most in the league.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (11)
-Elliott has the seventh-most rush attempts with 151.
-Elliott is tied with Jonathan Taylor and Antonio Gibson for the sixth-most carries on third down with 17.
-Elliott has picked up 10 third down conversions on the ground, the seventh-most in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 695 rushing yards are the sixth-most in the league.
-Elliott generates 399 yards before contact, the fifth-most in the NFL.
-Elliott picks up 296 yards after contact, the eighth-most in the league.
-Elliott is tied for the sixth-most rushing touchdowns with seven.
-All seven of Elliott’s rushing touchdowns have come inside the red zone, tied for the fourth-most in the league.
-Elliott is tied with Jalen Hurts and Antonio Gibson for the 10th-most carries inside the red zone with 26.
-Among running backs with at least 150 carries, Elliott is tied with Dalvin Cook for the second-highest yards per carry at 4.6.
-Elliott has picked up 13 first downs on first down carries, tied with Joe Mixon and Darrell Henderson for the seventh-most in the NFL.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (7)
-This is the 67th week that a McCarthy lead team has held undisputed first place in the division and his 10th with the Cowboys.
-McCarthy is 3-3 on Thanksgiving with an 0-2 record at home.
-All-time, McCarthy is 34-25 against the AFC with a 13-15 record at home.
-McCarthy is 11-4 against the AFC West with a 6-1 record at home.
-McCarthy is 3-0 against the Raiders. Here is how that compares to other AFC West opponents:
- Chargers: 4-0
- Raiders: 3-0
- Chiefs: 2-2
- Broncos: 2-2
-McCarthy is facing the Raiders for the first time as the Cowboys coach. Here is how other Dallas coaches fared:
- Tom Landry: 1-3
- Jimmy Johnson: 1-0
- Barry Switzer: 1-0
- Chan Gailey: 0-1
- Dave Campo: 0-1
- Bill Parcells: 0-1
- Wade Phillips: 1-0
- Jason Garrett: 2-0
-McCarthy is 27-34-1 in November with a 13-13-1 record at home.
RICH BISACCIA FACTS (4)
-Bisaccia is the first former Cowboys special teams coordinator to face Dallas since Mike Ditka with the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 24, 1999. New Orleans prevailed 31-24.
-Bisaccia has a chance to join Pat Peppler (1976 Atlanta Falcons), Joe Vitt (2005 St. Louis Rams, 2012 New Orleans Saints), and Jim Haslett (2008 St. Louis Rams) as the only interim coaches to beat the Cowboys.
-Bisaccia is the sixth interim coach in Raiders history.
-Bisaccia is 0 for 1 on challenges since taking over in Week 6.
THANKSGIVING FACTS (10)
-Since 2006, when Thursday NFL games ramped up, home teams are 114-92 on Thursdays, including Thanksgiving games.
-Only the Detroit Lions have played more Thursday games (81) than the Dallas Cowboys (59). The Lions are 37-42-2 while the Cowboys are 31-21-1.
-The Dallas Cowboys are 31-21-1 on Thanksgiving. Here is a breakdown by decade:
- 1960s: 3-0-1
- 1970s: 5-3
- 1980s: 6-4
- 1990s: 7-3
- 2000s: 6-4
- 2010s: 4-6
- 2020s: 0-1
-The Raiders are 3-4 on Thanksgiving with a 2-3 record on the road.
-Here’s a list of Cowboys quarterback Thanksgiving records:
- Most Touchdowns: 5 (Romo, ’06)
- Most Passing Yards: 455 (Aikman, ’98)
- Most Completions: 37 (Romo, ’12)
- Most Attempts: 62 (Romo, ’12)
- Best Completion Percentage: 77.4 (White, ’83)
- Most INTs: 3 (Morton, ‘69; White, ’87; Aikman, ’89; Carter, ’03; Romo, ‘15)
- Best Passer Rating: Tony Romo, 148.9
- Worst Passer Rating: Roger Staubach, 1.7
- Youngest Starter: Troy Aikman, 23 years, 2 days
- Oldest Starter: Jon Kitna, 38 years, 65 days
-Here’s a list of the Top 10 Cowboys Passer Ratings on Thanksgiving:
- Tony Romo — 148.9 (2006)
- Roger Staubach — 141.4 (1971)
- Dak Prescott — 121.6 (2018)
- Tony Romo — 121.2 (2009)
- Tony Romo — 113.7 (2008)
- Troy Aikman — 113.0 (1995)
- Don Meredith — 110.0 (1967)
- Jason Garrett — 109.6 (1994)
- Danny White — 109.2 (1983)
- Dak Prescott — 108.9 (2016)
-In 1975 and 1977, the St. Louis Cardinals replaced the Cowboys as a Thanksgiving game host with unfavorable results. Even St. Louis-area high school football was a bigger draw than the Cardinals on Thanksgiving, thus moving the game back to Dallas.
-The longest Thanksgiving winning streak the Cowboys had was from 1980 to 1985. Their longest losing streak is from 1986 to 1989.
-The Cowboys’ biggest Thanksgiving win was a 51-7 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in 1980.
-The Cowboys were shut out by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1989 and then pitched their own against the Miami Dolphins in 1999. Aikman started both contests.
BROADCAST FACTS (13)
-The Cowboys are 18-9-1 on CBS on Thanksgiving. Here is how they fare on all networks involved since 1966:
- CBS: 18-9-1
- FOX: 8-6
- NBC: 5-6
-The Detroit Lions are 5-7 on FOX on Thanksgiving. Here is how they have performed on all networks involved:
- NBC: 11-4
- Dumont: 2-0
- ABC: 1-0
- FOX: 5-7
- CBS: 11-23-2
-This is the sixth game in the series to be broadcast on CBS. Here is how the matchups have been divided among the other networks involved:
- CBS: 5
- FOX: 3
- ABC: 2
- NBC: 2
-Since CBS took over the AFC package, the Cowboys are 28-18 on that network. Overall, the Cowboys are 295-195-6 on CBS, including the postseason.
-A win over the Raiders would give the Cowboys their seventh sweep of CBS games since 1998 when they took over the AFC package: 2002, 2006, 2011-12, 2014, and 2016.
-The Raiders are 138-178 on CBS, including the postseason.
-Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are the 12th different play-by-play team in the series.
-The Cowboys are 23-15 when Nantz calls their games, playoffs included.
-Jim Nantz is calling his seventh Cowboys Thanksgiving game, moving him past Dick Enberg for the third-most among TV play-by-play.
-The Raiders are 7-17 when Nantz calls their games.
-Dallas is 5-5 when Romo calls the action.
-The Raiders are 2-6 when Romo calls their games.
-Cowboys players have taken home the network’s Player of the Game honors 15 times, the most since 1990:
- 1990 – Troy Aikman & Emmitt Smith (CBS Madden Turkey Leg)
- 1992 – Emmitt Smith & Cowboys OL (CBS Madden Turkey Leg)
- 1994 – Emmitt Smith & Jason Garrett (FOX Madden Turkey Leg)
- 1996 – Emmitt Smith (FOX Madden Turkey Leg)
- 1999 – Dexter Coakley (CBS All-Iron Award)
- 2002 – Emmitt Smith (FOX Galloping Gobbler Award)
- 2004 – Julius Jones (FOX Galloping Gobbler Award)
- 2006 – Tony Romo (FOX Galloping Gobbler Award)
- 2007 – Tony Romo & Cowboys defense (CBS All-Iron Award)
- 2008 – DeMarcus Ware (FOX Galloping Gobbler)
- 2009 – Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Jason Witten (CBS All-Iron Award)
- 2011 – DeMarcus Ware (CBS All-Iron Award)
- 2013 – Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware, Lance Dunbar (CBS All-Iron Award)
- 2016 – Dak Prescott & Ezekiel Elliott (FOX Galloping Gobbler)
- 2018 – Amari Cooper (FOX Game Ball)
SHAWN HOCHULI FACTS (12)
-This week’s referee is Shawn Hochuli, son of former arch-referee Ed Hochuli, with whom Dallas had a 20-13 record, including the playoffs. The Cowboys are 2-2 with the littler Hochuli:
- 2018 – TB, 27-20 – W
- 2019 – @WAS, 31-21 – W
- 2019 – MIN, 24-28 – L
- 2021 – @TB, 29-31 – L
-The Cowboys have never had fewer penalties than the opposition under the younger Hochuli:
- 2018 – TB: 9/72; DAL: 10/67
- 2019 – WAS: 6/44; DAL: 8/67
- 2019 – MIN: 5/35; DAL: 5/39
- 2021 – TB: 11/106; DAL: 8/55
-Hochuli officiated games have the worst home team winning percentage (.200) among referees this season.
-Hochuli is tied for the fifth-highest percentage (.600) of home teams receiving fewer penalties.
-The Raiders are 2-2 with Hochuli as the ref:
- 2018 – @MIA, 20-28 – L
- 2018 – @KC, 3-35 – L
- 2019 – DET, 31-24 – W
- 2020 – NO, 34-24 – W
-The Raiders have had fewer penalty yards 2 of the 4 times with Hochuli:
- 2018 – MIA: 9/74; RAI: 8/38
- 2018 – KC: 4/50; RAI: 4/22
- 2019 – DET: 5/35; RAI: 10/96
- 2020 – NO: 10/129; RAI: 3/13
-Hochuli’s games are tied for the fifth-fewest (4.2) sacks per game.
-Hochuli is tied for the second-most (3.3) offensive holding calls per game.
-The Cowboys are 0 for 1 when challenging Hochuli. Their opponents have yet to challenge and Replay Assistant has yet to be a factor.
-The Raiders have yet to challenge Hochuli. Their opponents have also yet to do so. Replay Assistant has not been a factor either.
-Hochuli has the fourth-lowest (.167, 1 for 6) coaches challenge overturn rate.
-Hochuli is tied for the fourth-lowest (.500, 1 for 2) booth review overturn rate.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (11)
-The Cowboys are tied with the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals for the fourth-most takeaways with 19.
-The Raiders defense has generated 107 pressures, the 10th-most in the NFL.
-The Raiders have called the fewest blitzes with 54.
-The Raiders have generated 76 quarterback hits, the second-most in the league.
-The Cowboys have given up 1,426 yards after the catch, the sixth-most in the NFL.
-Opposing quarterbacks have generated a 96.2 passer rating against the Raiders defense, the 10th-most in the NFL.
-Opposing quarterbacks have generated an 81.6 passer rating against the Cowboys defense, the third-lowest in the NFL.
-The Cowboys are 5-3 on Nov. 25. Here are the results:
- 1962 — @PHI, 14-28 — L
- 1971 — RAM, 28-21 — W
- 1976 — CRD, 19-14 — W
- 1982 — CLE, 31-14 — W
- 1993 — MIA, 14-16 — L
- 1999 — MIA, 20-0 — W
- 2004 — CHI, 21-7 — W
- 2010 — NO, 27-30 — L
-The Raiders are 5-3 on Nov. 25:
- 1962 — @KC (Dallas Texans), 7-35
- 1973 — SD, 31-3 — W
- 1979 — @DEN, 14-10 — W
- 1984 — CLT, 21-7 — W
- 1990 — KC, 24-27 — L
- 2001 — @NYG, 28-10 — W
- 2007 — @KC, 20-17 — W
- 2012 — @CIN, 10-34 — L
- 2018 — @RAV, 17-34 — L
-The Cowboys have three birthdays to celebrate on Nov. 25:
- 1963 — Bernie Kosar, QB, 1993
- 1981 — Quincy Butler, CB, 2006
- 1984 — Steve Octavien, LB, 2008-09
-The Cowboys have a death to remember in Buzz Guy, who played guard for the 1960 team. Guy was born on March 20, 1936 and passed away on Nov. 25, 2010.
Do you think the Cowboys will take home their 32nd win on turkey day? Share what you’re most thankful for with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
