NFL Announces Punishments for Raiders & Cowboys Players After MNF Game

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Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens.

The Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys didn’t play an overly clean game in Week 11. With the world watching on Monday Night Football, there were a few infractions that led to the NFL stepping in.

The NFL announced punishment for three players from the matchup. The first was Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce, who is getting fined $12,172 for an unnecessary roughness that stemmed from him striking Cowboys offensive line Tyler Guyton in the helmet after a play.

Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is getting a heftier fine of $26,085 for unsportsmanlike conduct. After a touchdown in the second quarter, Pickens hugged the Raiders’ goalpost, which is not legal. Since he’s a repeat offender, his fine is a bit steeper than Koonce’s.

Pickens isn’t the only Cowboy who got a fine. Defensive lineman DeMarvion Overshown has been fined $8,166 for a late hit in the second quarter. None of these should be a surprise. It was expected that Pickens and Koonce would get fined for their antics. Overshown’s wasn’t as serious, so it could’ve gone either way. Regardless, the NFL is getting really strict with penalties, so they’re going to keep fining players who aren’t always following the rules. Pickens is looking at a pretty big fine next time if he slips up again.

Raiders Offense Faces Another Tough Test

The Raiders’ offense was supposed to get back on track against the Cowboys’ struggling defense. However, they only mustered 16 points in the loss. Things aren’t about to get easier, as the Cleveland Browns have one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Star defensive end Myles Garrett is the favorite to win defensive player of the year, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly knows that he poses a serious problem.

“I think the one thing about Myles that when you look at him, obviously he’s a freakish looking guy,” Kelly said Thursday. “He’s 270 something pounds and moves like a linebacker, but then when you watch his movement skill, you’re like, there aren’t many big people that move that way. … I don’t know if there’s anybody out there that can really simulate Myles, because as I said he’s got 15 sacks right now and, and we’re 10 games in. He’s on track to set the record in the history of the league for sacks. So, he’s as good as we’re going to face out there.”

Raiders Need Big Game From Ashton Jeanty

It’s hard to see the Raiders being able to pass against the Browns with Garrett being unblockable, so if they have any hope of scoring points, they need to move the ball on the ground. Ashton Jeanty has been a non-factor for most of the season, but the Browns aren’t sleeping on his potential impact.

“His tape looks a lot better than his stats. You know, you look at his stats, he’s averaging 3.7 [yards per attempt], which, you know, isn’t great,” Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said, via Raiders.com. “But then you watch his tape, and you don’t see where that is because that guy is breaking tackles, making people miss. You know, there is like nothing to hit on him. He’s like a bowling ball out there. 5-foot-8 and change and 215, 220 pounds. He’s a power running back. I think that he’s going to be a good player.”

Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd