After a terrific Monday night victory in Las Vegas, the Cowboys have entered the second half of their 2025 season with some momentum. There are still some big unknowns for this team going forward, though. What are three questions still hanging over Dallas even after the Raiders win?
1. Is it too late?
While we enjoyed the W, it still only brought the Cowboys’ record to 4-5-1. They’re still just tenth in the NFC standings, with the ninth-place Panthers at 6-5 and holding a head-to-head tiebreaker. The last wild card spot is currently held by the 7-4 49ers. So for some, if not many, Monday’s victory may have offered little encouragement and even frustration over weakened 2026 draft picks.
Still, unless you completely discount the Raiders as a credible opponent, what we saw in Vegas offered room for optimism. The defense did look better, and that was with completely new pieces or some existing ones in larger roles. And the offense, against a Vegas defense that was middle-of-the-road going into the game, was firing on all cylinders once Lamb and Pickens were let out of the penalty box.
Continued efforts like those from both sides of the ball could be enough to flip Dallas’ performance from the first half of the year, making a final record of 9-7-1 reasonable. That’s not going to win the NFC East, of course, but it’s been good enough to snag the last wild card spot in three of the last four seasons. There’s still a big hole to dig out of, naturally, but the Cowboys took the right first step against the Raiders.
2. Should Pickens get WR1 treatment?
The beauty of this year’s offense and Dak Prescott’s masterful handling of it is that it really doesn’t matter. He’s doing an excellent job of taking what the defense gives, and sometimes that’s going to bounce more Pickens’ way than Lamb’s, or vice versa. If Pickens keeps poisoning opponents, it may mean more opportunities for Jake Ferguson, KaVontae Turpin, or Ryan Flournoy going forward.
While Pickens was sensational in Vegas, we know Lamb has that same gear. They’ve received fairly even workloads over the last few weeks. We’re not used to the idea of having a shared WR crown in Dallas, having so often leaned on one franchise guy like Lamb, Dez Bryant, Terrell Owens, or Michael Irvin over the years. But this is a rare opportunity to enjoy the services of two truly elite receivers, so let’s just enjoy it.
3. Is Quinnen Williams really that great, or was it just the Raiders’ o-line being that bad?
Vegas has major blocking issues. We knew this going in. But for Williams to perform like that in his debut game, and after sitting two weeks due to the Jets having their bye in Week 9, was special stuff. We didn’t see any learning curve or adjustment period, just a great player doing great things. The opponent certainly helped, but it’s not like Kenny Clark or Osa Odighizuwa were showing off against other bad teams that Dallas has played so far this year.
Williams is on another level from most DTs that have come through Dallas, going back to the beginning of Jerry Jones’ ownership. Even when we’ve had some Pro Bowlers like a Russell Maryland or Leon Lett, how much of that was due to their actual greatness versus riding the Cowboys’ popularity in the 90s? Dallas DTs who were actually considered the best in the business have been few and far between, and Williams walks in with that distinction.
Yes, we need to see more from him against better offensive lines. But that sort of immediate impact doesn’t happen in the pros unless you’re pretty darn good. Williams is a game-changer.
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