One more long weekend before the Dallas Cowboys step back under the Monday Night Football lights in Las Vegas.

It’ll be the first true look at a revamped roster, with trade-deadline reinforcements joining the mix and DeMarvion Overshown finally back in uniform. On paper, the defense should look nothing like the group that sleepwalked through September and October.

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Dak Prescott set the tone at practice, balancing raw emotion with resolve after the tragic passing of Marshawn Kneeland.

“It was great,” Dak said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “(Brian Schottenheimer) said it earlier in the week, some guys are going to get on the field and it’s going to hurt. And some guys are going to get out there and it’s going to be the best medicine for them… Having dealt with a loss, that is the best medicine for me.”

He added that Kneeland was on his mind throughout:

“I just counted that with running harder after a play or trying to do something to better this team… We’re not forgetting, but we’re moving forward and carrying on the light.

“Moving forward” now has names: linebacker Overshown, heat-seeking Logan Wilson, interior wrecking ball Quinnen Williams, and rookie corner Shavon Revel Jr.

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As InsideTheStar.com notes, the math is brutal – 5.3% playoff odds, 0.4% to reach the Super Bowl — but the defensive foundation today isn’t what Dallas trotted out a month ago. Translation: no more excuses.

The Raiders are wounded but opportunistic. If this reset is real, we’ll see it in Vegas – faster fits, cleaner communication, and hits that echo. If not, the odds aren’t the problem. The Cowboys are.