Raiders’ Geno Smith Drops Clear Response on Cowboys Defense
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(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ offense will be facing a new-look Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 11. After struggling against the Denver Broncos, the Silver and Black’s offense will attempt to get back on track against one of the league’s worst defenses.
However, the Cowboys did make a couple of moves to improve the unit at the NFL trade deadline. Dallas acquired Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets and former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.
As a result, the Cowboys are hoping these additions can make their group at least respectable. Ahead of the game on “Monday Night Football,” Raiders quarterback Geno Smith spoke about facing the Cowboys’ defense with their new additions.
“I mean, you start with what the Cowboys do in their scheme,” Smith told reporters on November 13 when talking about facing the new faces on the Dallas defense. “They’ve got a lot of other players that we’ve got to make sure that we have an eye out for.
“But yeah, Logan Wilson, they just acquired Quinnen Williams, a guy who I’ve played against a bunch and a great defensive tackle in this league. He’s been a perennial All-Pro, perennial Pro Bowler.
“For those guys, of course, I’m going to watch the Cowboys, but I’m also going to go back and watch what they’ve done in the past and just try to see how they can fit into the scheme. Again, we’ll have to see on game day what it is, but I think we have a good idea of what they’ll be in.”
Ashton Jeanty Will Look to Feast on Cowboys Defense
Along with Smith, another player on the Raiders offense who will be looking to take advantage of the Dallas defense is Ashton Jeanty.
“Yeah, [the Cowboys] got some great players,” Jeanty said on November 11. “They just added Quinnen Williams in the interior. So, I’m sure that’ll level up their front. And, just a good all-around team. But,
“[Williams is] another guy in the interior to be disruptive. I mean, he’s a game wrecker. So, we got to be ready for him. We just prepping kind of for whoever’s going to be out there. Obviously they’ve made some changes, so we’ll just prepare for that.”
It will be intriguing to see how the new additions affect the defense. Still, Jeanty could have a standout performance against Dallas. The Cowboys rank in the bottom 10 in rushing yards allowed (1,287), according to
Raiders Also Have to Worry About Cowboys Offense
While the Cowboys are hopeful that their defense can improve, they’ll be leaning on their offense to secure a win over the Raiders. Dallas have several weapons that should concern Las Vegas, and ahead of the game on November 17, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was asked about facing the opposition’s offense.
“[Prescott has] got terrific receivers around him,” Carroll said on the latest edition of “1 on 1” that was published November 11. “They’re continuing to build this offensive line. They’re big and they like him. Javonte [Williams has] given them an aggressive running game. So, he’s got what he needs. That offense is one of the top-ranked offenses in the NFL. Their defense has really been their concern this year.”
Lions OC John Morton addresses apparent demotion after Dan Campbell decision
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell took over as the club's offensive play-caller during what became Detroit's 44-22 victory over the Washington Commanders on Nov. 9.
On Thursday, Lions offensive coordinator John Morton spoke with reporters for the first time since that apparent demotion.
Does John Morton disagree with Dan Campbell's decision?
"I fully support it," Morton said about Campbell's call, per Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. "Listen, man. I’ve been doing this for a while. I’ve been with head coaches that are offensive guys, play-callers, so I’m used to that. I feel very prideful of things that I was doing. There’s some things I’ve got to learn, no doubt."
While the Lions initially dealt with "growing pains" associated with Morton serving as the replacement for current Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, Detroit later won five of six games before the club endured a 27-24 upset loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 2. According to ESPN stats, the Lions will enter the weekend ranked second in the NFL with an average of 31.4 points scored per game. Additionally, Campbell said this week that he feels quarterback Jared Goff is playing the best football of his career, to date, this fall.
That said, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press noted that the Lions set season-highs of 546 total offensive yards, 226 rushing yards and 30 first downs in the win against Washington. Despite the change, there's no indication Campbell plans to show Morton the door during the season.
John Morton won't quit after losing play-calling duties
"That’s what we do. That’s what the Lions do," Morton added about supporting Campbell's decision, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. "This organization’s been awesome. They live off grit, adversity, fighting through it. That’s me. My dad worked for GM for 30-something years. I saw him work on the assembly line forever. So, that’s all I know. … Player loses his starting position, what is he going to do? He’s just going to mope around and quit? No, he’s not, because we don’t hire guys like that. We don’t draft players like that. We hire guys that are fighters and will do whatever it takes."
Campbell's staff will spend the weekend preparing for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2). As of Friday morning, ESPN BET had 6-3 Detroit as a 2.5-point underdog for that matchup.
