Even legends get stumped. Troy Aikman, Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN’s Monday Night Football analyst, encountered something during the Cowboys-Raiders matchup he’d never seen before. An onside kick executed as a punt by the Raiders following a safety.

“I don’t recall ever seeing an onside kick punt,” confessed Aikman on the live broadcast.

The Las Vegas Raiders were already trailing 33-16 against the Dallas Cowboys when the Raiders opted for this play from their 20-yard line in the fourth quarter. Raiders’ punter A.J. Cole kicked the ball up high, but it ultimately landed in the arms of Cowboys’ wideout George Pickens. In the middle of this, Aikman’s confusion was understandable. Onside kick punts are exceedingly rare in modern football. But NFL rules analyst Russell Yurk jumped in to clarify.

“They can punt it, place-kick it, drop-kick it; they have all the options. It’s just on the onside kick, under the new rule, they can’t kick it past the 45.” 

Under the new rules, the trailing team can declare an onside kick at any point during the game. At least nine players from the receiving team must line up in a five-yard setup zone and can’t move until the kick hits the ground or a player in the landing zone. A 15-yard setup zone between the 10 and 25-yard lines from the kick’s spot creates the boundary Yurk spoke of. The kicking team can’t drill it past that zone, which sits around the 45-yard line on onside attempts.

Here’s the thing: most teams stick with the traditional place-kick because it’s familiar. But Las Vegas breaking that mold showed either desperation or creativity, depending on how you look at the 2-8 team.

For Troy Aikman, this onside kick punt caught him completely off guard, proving that even after decades around the game, the NFL’s rulebook still has surprises left. But while Aikman puzzled over punt mechanics, Monday night’s game had a clear winner, and it was the Cowboys’ secondary. 

Cowboys’ defensive blueprint working at last?

Dallas dismantled Las Vegas, snapping a two-game skid with authority. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott carved up the Raiders’ defense, throwing four touchdowns to four different receivers. He spread the wealth, and the offense looked sharper than ever.

The Cowboys’ defense, which had been hemorrhaging points and yards each week, finally showed up. The addition of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams paid off with 1.5 sacks and one tackle for loss. Even Logan Wilson, the new Cowboys linebacker, logged 2 tackles. The Dallas secondary held the Raiders offense to just 16 points while generating constant pressure.

With four sacks on the night, Raiders quarterback Geno Smith lost 27 yards (along with any hope for momentum). On the ground, Las Vegas managed just 27 rushing yards on 12 carries. In short, this was the Dallas defense the Cowboys Nation had been waiting for all season.

Against this defense, the Raiders looked helpless and frustrated. They went 3-12 on third-downs, 1-3 on red zone attempts, and across 11 drives, they could only gain 236 yards. Smith threw one touchdown and one pick, and the rest were just field goals. That creative onside kick punt couldn’t bridge the talent gap either, just a desperate move that handed the ball over to Dallas.

Dallas has now improved to 4-5-1, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Las Vegas dropped to 2-8, their season slipping further away. Dallas now gears up for a Week 1 rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles for the start of a tough stretch. Beyond Philly loom the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions, waiting to test Dallas’ defense further.

The Cowboys are still in it, re-energized by their secondary. Their offense is still putting up a fireworks display. The biggest question now: can they keep this up all the way to January?