'Ready to Rumble'? Raiders Edge Dallas Cowboys in OT, 36-33

Maybe this second straight Dallas loss wasn't as much about who was "pissed'' as it was who was "missed.''

ARLINGTON - Thanksgiving Thursday by design featured a "big-game'' atmosphere with all the fixings. "America's Team'' on national TV in a tradition-laden annual festival against a noteworthy Raiders team against the Dak Prescott-led Dallas Cowboys ... who shipped in boxing voice Michael Buffer to grab a pregame AT&T Stadium microphone.

And eventually? The Cowboys were indeed "ready to rumble.''

🗣 LET'S GET READY TO R-U-M-B-L-E!!! #LVvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/LbY7XCnSB1

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 25, 2021

But maybe, in a 36-33 OT loss that dropped Dallas to 7-4 on the season ... they waited too long.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, whose team lost three of its four games in November, said, "Proud of the way (our players) fight. We talked about the officials last night .. this is the way they officiate. But we're going through a tough patch.''

The officiating? We'll get to that in a moment.

The "tough patch''? That's supposed to be within Dallas' control.

After last week's disappointing loss at Kansas City, Prescott announced that he was "pissed off. ... I’m pissed when I don’t play well or the team doesn’t play well.''

But arguably, this game wasn't as much about who was "pissed'' as it was who was "missed.''

The Cowboys, proud as they are about their roster depth, didn’t have receivers Amari Cooper (Reserve/COVID) or CeeDee Lamb (concussion), and also absent was offensive line coach Joe Philbin (COVID). They did get back Tyron Smith to play left tackle, but in a shocker, the starting right tackle was Terence Steele, supplanting La'el Collins.

"You want to keep both those guys involved,'' said McCarthy, who also cited the schedule crunch of games. "Terance earned the start today.''

Maybe that counts as depth. The depth was tested. The depth - despite a valiant late charge keyed by Dalton Schultz and Tony Pollard - didn't pass the test.

Dallas fell behind early, 14-6, Greg Zuerlein missing the first-quarter extra point after the Cowboys did score on a Prescott toss to backup tight end Sean McKeon. 

The Dak to Sean McKeon to TD passpic.twitter.com/I5ypwuB2De

— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) November 25, 2021

By the time it was 24-13 Raiders, the Cowboys faced an uphill climb, a climb helped by Pollard's electric 100-yard kickoff return for a TD.

🚨 TONY POLLARD 100-YARD RETURN 🚨

Game-changing play! @Tp__5 #DallasCowboys

📺: #LVvsDAL on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/UXfNir6JsV

— NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2021

Then came the involvement of the tight end Schultz, who caught a big TD pass and then the 2-point conversation to tie it at 30-all.

Dak Prescott finds Dalton Schultz for 32 yards over the middle, 2-point conversion good. Cowboys tie Raiders at 30.

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/wFuN1NtHKS

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) November 26, 2021

The clubs were then tied at 33-all to go to OT, when the Raiders, to their credit took advantage of some officiating that Dallas surely disagrees with (the Cowboys were penalized 14 times for a franchise-record 166 yards) ... and then got the game-winning kick in the fifth period.

Said Ezekiel Elliott of the missing guys: "Definitely tough. That’s a lot of production. Those are two of our best receivers and we all know the impact they made. … (But) got to control what we can control.”

Next Thursday night at New Orleans, the Cowboys will be getting back Cooper, Lamb and (now on his 21-way window to return) DeMarcus Lawrence. Soon after that will come Randy Gregory and then maybe Neville Gallimore. There are plenty of reasons Dallas can remain hopeful about this full roster and some true contention.

But no matter who suits up in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, especially on a large stage like this, he needs to be "ready to rumble.'' And maybe not until it was too late on on this Thanksgiving Thursday - even considering Dallas' late push to try to avoid a second straight loss and a third in four games - all those were were corny, empty, trademarked words.

Sean Hardiman/USA Today Sports