5 reasons Oakland Raiders can beat Dallas Cowboys in Week 15

Dallas won’t have Ezekiel Elliott available for the sixth straight week.

While the Raiders will have Lynch, this will be the sixth and final week that the Cowboys will be without their star running back Ezekiel Elliott. He will be serving the final game of his six-game suspension for domestic violence in Week 15. He’ll be back for the Cowboys in Week 16.

With Elliott in there, it would have been insanely difficult for the Raiders defense to stop him. He is elite at running the football, catching the ball out of the backfield and helping his teammates out in pass protection. The Raiders are fortunate to not have to deal with the most complete running back in all of football on Sunday night.

Instead, they will have to wrangle with a serviceable backup in Alfred Morris and a decent third-stringer in Rod Smith. Morris is a two-time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins, but isn’t the receiving threat that Elliott is. Smith can spell Morris occasionally, but he’ll lose most of his carries once Elliott returns next week.

In a way, the Raiders could see Morris and Smith try to press in this game, knowing Elliott’s return is imminent. It might be a good game for linebackers like NaVorro Bowman and Nicholas Morrow to try to punch the ball out on the Dallas ball carriers. Beating the Cowboys with Elliott is very challenging, but the Raiders should have an easier time stopping the run in knowing he’ll be out for this game.