On Thanksgiving, Daniel Carlson kicked a 29-yard field goal in overtime to send the Dallas Cowboys to a heartbreaking 36-33 loss at home to the Las Vegas Raiders.
A pass interference call on Cowboys CB Anthony Brown kept the Raiders drive alive in overtime with the scores tied at 2-2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The penalty allowed Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr to put his side in a position to win with a field goal, which Carlson dutifully converted for his fifth field goal of the game.
The Raiders’ triumph snaps a three-game losing streak and marks their first Thanksgiving win since 1968.
The Cowboys, who have Super Bowl aspirations this season, have suffered a stunning defeat.
Following the game, a player from the winning side celebrates in style by biting into a turkey leg, as is Thanksgiving NFL custom. After Carlson’s clutch kick, it was Carlson’s turn.
“Every win’s important. We’ve been working hard,” Carlson said afterwards. “It’s tough when things don’t go your way for a few weeks. On a short week to be able to get a win like that, that helps us going forward. As I said, I think that just speaks to the character of this team and our will to win.”
The Cowboys play on Thanksgiving every year, and it’s one of the most popular NFL games of the year.
This time, however, they came into the game shorthanded, missing their two greatest wide receivers, Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.
And it cost the Cowboys offence a poor start, as the Raiders raced to a 17-13 halftime advantage.
Despite losing star tight end Darren Waller to injury throughout the game, the Raiders continued to score and pulled ahead of Dallas.
With 1:57 left in the fourth quarter, Carlson made his fourth field goal of the game to give the Raiders a three-point lead, but Dallas kicker Greg Zuerlein tied the game at 33-33 with a 45-yard field goal with seconds left to send it to overtime.
After the Cowboys’ drive faltered in OT, Carlson’s game-winning goal was set up by a major pass interference call on Brown on third-and-18, his fourth of the game.
