Cowboys at Rams: 3 matchups to watch in Week 1
By Tyrone Starr
DeMarcus Lawrence, Aldon Smith, and Everson Griffen vs. Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein
Of all the changes that the Dallas Cowboys made on defense this offseason, the biggest and most crucial may be the strengthening of their defensive line. This trio needs to show up and show out all season to help the secondary.
Thankfully, the talent is there. DeMarcus Lawrence (39), Aldon Smith (47.5), and Everson Griffen (74.5) have combined for over 150 sacks in their NFL careers. They will be facing a twosome of tackles, however, that does not give up a lot of sacks.
Under head coach Sean McVay, Rams quarterback Jared Goff has been sacked just 80 times in 47 games. If the Cowboys only get to Goff once in this game, the secondary could be in for a long night.
If Dallas is able to sack Goff three or more times, however, they should be flying home with a win. In 15 career games in which Goff has been sacked three or more times, the Rams are 6-9. Nine losses may not seem so bad until you remember that Goff has lost just 15 games total under the tutelage of McVay.
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SoFi Stadium will be full of big-name stars Sunday night. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Goff, Donald, and Jalen Ramsey will all be headliners to the story. The game will come down to three matchups highlighted above, however.
I believe that the Dallas Cowboys will win two of these three matchups. The game will likely be lower scoring than most imagine but give me Dallas in a close one over Los Angeles, 23-20.