5 things to watch for in the Cowboys vs. Rams Week 5 NFC matchup

Cooper Rush and Co. have the Dallas Cowboys rolling on a three-game win streak going into a Week 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. After thwarting the Washington Commanders at home on Sunday, the team now has the opportunity to make a statement against the defending Super Bowl champions.

The last time these two teams faced off, the Jared Goff-led Rams got the best of America’s Team by a score of 20-17. The ‘Boys already face the tough task of playing the defending champs, but they also have to do it without star quarterback Dak Prescott, as reported earlier this week.

There are going to be several factors that decide this game on both sides of the ball. Let’s take a look at five things to watch as for in this NFC matchup

Cowboys vs. Rams: 5 things to watch in the intra-conference matchup

1. Cooper Kupp vs. the Cowboys’ secondary

It’s no secret around the football world that Cooper Kupp is Matthew Stafford’s favorite target. It’s even less of a secret that Cooper Kupp is really good at playing wide receiver.

So far this season, the Rams’ superstar wideout has accumulated 42 receptions, which ranks first in the NFL. He also ranks fourth in receiving yards with 402, and is tied for third in touchdowns with three.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Bet/status/1576967524696043521?s=20&t=8KT4vf30nKPhe4OUfgsvBA

While Kupp is consistently getting the football, he’s not necessarily a huge big-play threat, averaging 9.6 yards per catch, which sits 91st in the NFL. However, he can come up big when the going gets tough, being known as one of the most clutch players in the league.

It will be worth watching how Kupp will fare against one of the best secondarys in the league on Sunday. Since Kupp plays about half of his snaps in the slot, we will see if the Rams try to attack rookie DaRon Bland more and play Kupp even more out of the slot position, assuming they want to avoid matchups with Trevon Diggs.