Cowboys win, Rams take it on the chin: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
By Richard Ball
A few observations from the Dallas Cowboys win over the Los Angeles Rams. There was some good, some bad and some downright ugly play.
The Dallas Cowboys won their seventh game of the year on Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams. For only the second time this season, the Cowboys played a complete game.
The Week Fifteen contest against the Rams was like most football games with plays you loved and plays you would love to forget. Below we’ll breakdown the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the Cowboys’ seventh win of the season.
The Good
On the Cowboys fourth offensive possession with Dallas leading 14-7, the coach made a bold decision to go for a fourth and one from the Rams seven-yard line. Quarterback Dak Prescott ran a sneak for two yards to pick up the first down.
The decision set the tone for the rest of the game as the Cowboys were relentless on offense and defense. The team played with passion and desire holding the Rams to 176 yards of offense while building a 37-7 lead with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter.
The defense was inspired. Maybe last season’s playoff loss was stuck in their head when the Rams ran for 273 yards. On Sunday, the Rams managed only 22 rushing yards on 14 carries with defensive tackle Antwaun Woods coming up big on many rushes early in the game.
A rare interception was even seen when linebacker Sean Lee intercepted Rams quarterback Jared Goff just before half time. The pick set up the Cowboys at the Rams nine-yard line for an even rarer short field. The Cowboys converted the pick into a touchdown for a 28-7 half time lead.
The offensive line played large. For the second time this season, running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard both gained more than 100 yards. The Cowboys rushed for 263 yards on 45 carries for a 5.8 yard average per carry.
Even better, the line kept Prescott clean on his 23 pass attempts. The Rams had zero sacks for the first time all season. They had been averaging 3.3 sacks per game with eleven in their previous two.