Cowboys fall to Raiders 17-9

The Dallas Cowboys lost their preseason home opener 17-9 to the Oakland Raiders.  Dallas appeared road-weary, playing their second game in 4 days.

The Good

Kicker David Buehler was perfect on the night, hitting all 3 field goal attempts (42, 27, and 28 yards) and all 4 kickoffs went for touchbacks.  Buehler made the team last year on the basis of his strong kickoffs and is attempting to add on the field goal duties this season.

The Bad

The Cowboys have not scored an offensive touchdown in 2 games, despite having multiple attempts inside the red zone.  There is no reason to be concerned just yet, since it is only preseason, however, this needs to turn around so the confidence to score will be there.

The Ugly

The Dallas offensive line, which looked so good 4 days ago, was pushed around by the Raiders.  The running lanes were not open and starting QB Tony Romo was sacked 3 times.  Hopefully, the short turnaround and fatigue from training camp is the only thing hampering this unit, which has the potential for multiple pro-bowlers.