Dallas Cowboys: Five impact players vs. the Raiders

The Dallas Cowboys just defeated the Oakland Raiders in their third preseason game. Here are the stars of what turned out to be an exciting contest.

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Oakland Raiders in the third preseason contest, 24-20, on Saturday night. A lot of people consider this to be the dress rehearsal for the regular season and indeed a lot of the starters played significant minutes.

Here we will take a look at some of the players who made the biggest impact.

Dak Prescott/Cooper Rush

What a performance from the duo but especially the young upstart, Cooper Rush. He put the Cowboys in the position to take the lead in the fourth quarter and eventually the defense put the Oakland Raiders away.

Dak was stellar but that is seemingly the norm these days as he has had a very terrific preseason thus far. He seems to be in mid-season form and the offensive chemistry is flowing.

Just from a numbers stand point both players impressed as Prescott accumulated 113 yards and went 11 of 14 and a touchdown. Rush gained 115 yards after completed 12 of his 13 passes for two touchdowns.

You could tell that with Rush the team had faith that they could pull out a victory even if it was preseason and that is a good sign for a player looking to fight for the number two quarterback role.

Prescott and Cowboys legendary tight end, Jason Witten looked very solid as the pair seemed to work more effectively together. With this being the last time we see Prescott this preseason, he could not have left on a better note.

Rush may have already done enough to supplant quarterback Kellen Moore as the primary backup to Prescott. His preseason has been nothing short of astounding and he has shown great intelligence on the field.

I mean it was 20-10, Oakland at the top of the 4th and Rush started to throw some serious dimes. He did have one bad fumble for a touchdown that really had to be mentioned, but he made up for it in spades.

Jason Witten

The ageless wonder continues to amaze, this guy has some real fire burning with Prescott as they tore the Raiders secondary apart. Witten has always been good at doing the simple things, but now he is legendary at it, there is just no other way to put it.

He caught six targets, gained 74 yards, and a touchdown. Witten has flashed a lot more than he typically does in preseason and seems to be ready to have a big season. The fluidity in Witten’s play style is just remarkable for a tight end his age.

Witten will be a key piece of this offense and should be the Cowboys primary red zone option if star running back, Ezekiel Elliott is not on the field.

Alfred Morris/Lance Lenoir

Morris was the lead back in terms of yards gained. He looked shiftier and much more explosive than he has. It looks like he is starting to believe that he could see significant time on the field and that confidence radiates off of him every time he touches the football.

Lance Lenoir had a terrific game as well building on some of the good things he accomplished early on this preseason. His hands have improved dramatically and is looking like a more serviceable punt returner in the final days of the preseason.

It is unknown if there is enough room for Lenoir on this roster as the team may keep three quarterbacks when it is all said and done. Regardless of his inconsistent play in the past, it was really nice to see Lenoir shine especially during big plays.

Honorable Mention: Taco Charlton/Robert Blanton

How could we not mention Taco? He has been lighting it up against players other than offensive lineman Tyron Smith. He recorded another sack in this game which makes this the second week that he has gotten to the quarterback.

Charlton may be thrown into the fire a bit earlier than he should but he has made me a believer in his ability to be an effective pass rusher. Blanton had to get a mention after that huge pass break up to save the game for Big D.

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Blanton is on the outside looking in when it comes to landing a roster spot but he still made a couple of fantastic plays today. The final preseason game will likely decide whether or not he makes the final cut.