Two weeks into training camp, the Oakland Raiders have taken advantage of an unusual circumstance to force overtime, as kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed two field goals and Oakland had two interceptions deep in Dallas territory. But when the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys were called for a late hit during a Jets-Raiders preseason game, referee Jeff Triplette said the Raider’s penalties had given the team a second chance to score a touchdown and get the game into overtime. And that is just what happened, as Janikowski’s overtime kick struck the upright and bounced through as the Raiders beat the Cowboys 36-33 on Monday night.
In many ways, this was like a regular regular season game, so in many ways, what came next was like a regular regular season game. The first punt of overtime was muffed by Trevone Boykin, and Rashaan Melvin recovered the ball, all but closing out the game.
Carson Palmer, who is making the switch from quarterback to offensive coordinator, had a chance to get the win for the Raiders on the first play of overtime, but a dropped pass by Rod Streater left the Cowboys with one chance for a winning field goal. Stephen Gostkowski nailed his third attempt to give the Cowboys their third loss in their last four games, along with an early bye for the team this week.