Cowboys lose to Rams: Injuries prove too much to overcome

The 2020 season officially started for the Dallas Cowboys, and it was a disappointment

September 13, 2020 marked the start of the Dallas Cowboys‘ regular season as they played in the opening game of SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams. After a long wait and plenty of offseason changes, Sunday night had finally come.

Heading into the primetime game, the Cowboys had won four of the past six matchups against the Rams. In their most recent contest, which was in Week 15 of last season, Dallas ran away with a 44-21 victory. Cowboys fans were hoping for a similar outcome this time around.

In the first half of Sunday night’s opener, exactly what Cowboys fans were worried about defensively came to haunt them. The Rams were able to run the ball, run screenplays, and play-action passes with little resistance. These are similar issues that the Dallas defense had last season.

It doesn’t help that star linebacker, Leighton Vander Esch, was injured in the first quarter with a reported collarbone injury. This forced Dorance Armstrong to play in Vander Esch’s spot. Luckily, the second Rams drive resulted in a missed field goal that hit the uprights.

While Dallas’ first drive wasn’t good, they came back big in their second drive. This drive saw rookie wideout CeeDee Lamb get his first NFL reception for a 33-yard gain. The drive was topped off by a great pass and run to running back Ezekiel Elliott, where he made five defenders miss him.

The Cowboys’ third drive resulted in kicker Greg Zuerlein missing a 53-yard field goal. The drive that left only 21 seconds to end the half was looking very good, with Zeke getting two nice passes, taking one for a touchdown. Unfortunately, it was called back due to offensive pass interference.

Four plays later, Zeke powered the ball into the endzone with a one-yard run. While it’s great that the Cowboys got a touchdown, they lost offensive lineman Cam Erving and tight end Blake Jarwin during this drive. Jarwin suffered a non-contact knee injury while Erving injured his knee during the missed field goal. At halftime, Dallas was up 14-13.

After Dallas punted in the first possession of the second half, the Rams came back with a touchdown. They rode off big plays by wideouts Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds, topped off with a two-yard touchdown by Malcolm Brown.

After the Cowboys had another disappointing drive, their defense stepped up. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was able to pick off quarterback Jared Goff. This is after defensive coordinator Mike Nolan decided to throw more blitzes and add pressure to Goff.

After getting great field position on the turnover, the Greg the Leg kicked a 33-yard field goal. The momentum continued with the defense forcing the Rams to make their first punt of the game after a three and out.

Head coach Mike McCarthy opted to for the fourth-down conversion at the Rams’ 11-yard line, but safety Jordan Fuller made a good play to stop the play just short. Thankfully, a block in the back penalty and an Aldon Smith sack stopped the Rams from scoring any points.

After punts by both teams, quarterback Dak Prescott began what he and the team hoped would be a dive to tie the game last second or win the game. Wideout Michael Gallup would have gotten the ball deep into Rams territory, but offensive pass interference brought it back.

With only 13 seconds left and one timeout left, Dak tried to whip the ball down the field with pressure, but it went nowhere. A kneel would seal the 20-17 loss for the Dallas Cowboys.

Prescott would complete 25 of his 39 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown. Elliott rushed for 96 yards, had three receptions for 31 yards, and two combined scores. Wide receiver Amari Cooper caught a team-high 10 receptions for 81 yards off 14 targets.

Defensively, pass rusher Aldon Smith had a terrific debut for Dallas racking up 11 combined tackles and that sack. Safety Darian Thompson had a team-high nine solo tackles. Cornerback Chidobe Awuize recorded the lone interception of the game.

My Two Cents

• Without a doubt, the Cowboys missed right tackle, La’el Collins. All game, there was trouble with the right side of the line.
• Connor Williams played great, holding star Aaron Donald to only 1.0 sack. He should be given credit for limiting him during the game.
• Ezekiel Elliott played unbelievable, fighting for every inch. He looks like he is in midseason form already.
• The usage of the running backs in the passing game was great, with Zeke having 31 receiving yards and one touchdown, and Tony Pollard having 22 receiving yards.
• The run defense does not look any better than it was last season. The Rams offensive line was pushing around the Cowboys’ defensive line all day, opening up room for Malcolm Brown.
• Many people will question McCarthy’s decision to try a fourth-down conversion. It was a call that was very close, but one of a couple of reasons they lost the game.

The Dallas Cowboys start the season 0-1. Their next game is in A-Town against the 0-1 Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 12:00 p.m. CDT on FOX.