Monday night gave social media an excuse to pile on the Las Vegas Raiders, but hey, at least their opponent didn’t try to pile on. Let’s be frank, it could’ve gone a lot uglier for the Silver and Black.
Well, technically speaking, it was still a blowout loss to the Cowboys, but maybe not as bad as it could’ve been. A silver lining, perhaps? In all seriousness, Las Vegas suffered its fifth blowout this season, and what’s even more disheartening is that the Cowboys have more losses than wins on their record, and so, there’s that, too.
The Raiders got lucky (somewhat)…
Surrendering four touchdowns to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott just tells you part of the story. The Raiders offense once again proved to be inept despite Dallas coming into Allegiant Stadium with some obvious weaknesses, such as their run defense. Then again, it’s Chip Kelly who runs the offense that we’re talking about.
Mercifully, the Raiders didn’t run into a coach like Detroit’s Dan Campbell, who probably would’ve run up the score. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who coached under Carroll back in Seattle from 2018-2020, saw no need to be disrespectful to his opponent. Speaking to the media recently, Schottenheimer explained his reasoning.
“I wasn’t going to try to score there. Don’t need to,” said Schottenheimer when responding to a question regarding his decision not to add another touchdown to the deficit. “Too much respect for the game, too much respect for Pete. Walk out of there with a great win,” Schottenheimer added. Raiders fans can thank the relationship and history between Carroll and the Cowboys’ head coach, or else, things might’ve gotten uglier.
Here’s a serious question, Raider Nation—if you were in Schottenheimer’s place, would you have run up the score on Carroll?
Related: Pete Carroll Refuses To Play His Younger Players
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images