Cowboys Honor Marshawn Kneeland Amid Rout of Raiders

The Dallas Cowboys played with heavy hearts on Monday against the Las Vegas Raiders, 11 days after the death of Kneeland.

Marshawn Kneeland speaks to the media during the 2024 NFL Draft Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Feb. 28, 2024. Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys made the most of their first game since the tragic death of second-year defensive end Marshawn Kneeland on Nov. 6.

Kneeland died in an apparent suicide, and the Cowboys (4–5–1) and Las Vegas Raiders (2–8) both joined in honoring his memory on Monday night. Besides a moment of silence before the game, Cowboys players wore a No. 94 decal on their helmets in honor of Kneeland’s old number, and the players and staff donned shirts featuring a picture of Kneeland. Raiders players, meanwhile, had shirts for 988, the suicide and crisis hotline.

“I'd be lying if I said I didn’t have some tears when I first put this shirt on, as you can imagine,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters afterward. “And we wanted to make him proud. And I think we did that.”

Dallas did that from kick off to the final whistle in a 33–16 rout of the Raiders. The Cowboys scored on five consecutive drives to put Las Vegas away after an early lead by the Raiders.

“Obviously, coming out there tonight and playing with the style that he played with, the intensity, the effort, the finish, super proud of the guys,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters afterward. “This doesn’t put a cap on it. We’re going to continue to move forward, shining a light on Marshawn and carrying his legacy. And we need to play like this every week moving forward. He'll always be with us.”

Prescott donned the phrase “One love” on his wrist tape in memory of Kneeland. Suicide is close to home for Prescott, who lost his brother, Jace, that way in 2020.

“It was a blessing to be out on the field; this is where healing happens for me,” Prescott said. “We love Marshawn and will continue to shine a light for him. We’re blessed to carry his light forward.”

Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who competed closely with Kneeland on the defensive front, explained what it took to move on from tragedy and play again, 11 days later. Kneeland’s death occurred during the Cowboys’ bye week when he was involved in a police chase before he crashed his vehicle, left the scene, and later “found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” per the Frisco police report.

“You’ve got to play through pain. It’s part of the game. Not this, per se, but playing through pain is something that’s part of the game,” Odighizuwa told reporters after the game. “Just being able to compartmentalize and take that pain and use it. I can’t say that nobody would understand, [the] people that don’t play football, but if you’ve been through something like this, then you know how it feels. You’ve had to keep going and keep moving forward, just being able to repurpose that pain.”

Las Vegas grabbed an early 6–3 lead as the Cowboys bumbled with a punt and fumble on the first two drives. Dallas turned the corner in the second quarter as Prescott threw three touchdown passes to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, tight end Jake Ferguson, and wideout George Pickens for a 24–6 lead.

Prescott finished 25–33 for 268 yards and four touchdowns, and he only took one sack. Pickens stepped up with nine catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. Lamb had five catches for 66 yards and a score, and Ferguson finished with four catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Cowboys fullback Hunter Luepke chipped in with three receptions for 36 yards, and he had a carry for five yards. Running back Javonte Williams led the way with 93 yards on 22 carries, and fellow running back Malik Davis produced 20 yards on four carries.

Dallas’ defense also came up big, and newly-acquired players from trades, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson, fit right in with four tackles and two tackles, respectively. Williams had 1.5 sacks, and Odighizuwa and defensive end James Houston each had a sack.

Safety Markquese Bell picked off Raiders quarterback Geno Smith once. Smith finished with 27–42 passing for 238 yards and a touchdown versus the pick.

Prescott doesn’t see the Cowboys playing for Kneeland as a one-off. The Cowboys expect to keep the playoff push going with seven games left.

“So, it’s about intensifying everything that we do to carry the legacy of Marshawn,” Prescott said. “Then over the next three games with the opponents coming in and us wanting to get to where we want to go, everything’s just got to heighten. The discipline, the focus, the intensity, the aggressiveness, and that’s at practice. That will just carry over into the game. I’ve always said, ’the game’s a celebration of the work that you put in throughout the week.'”