5 Reasons the Dallas Cowboys will beat the Rams in Week 5

Don’t count the Dallas Cowboys out just yet. They may be entering Week 5 as underdogs to the Los Angeles Rams, but they’re coming off a three-game winning streak and they suddenly have some impressive swagger.

Head coach Mike McCarthy was asked about the Rams being favored by 5.5 points and he replied that they’re “nobody’s underdog.” For a team that’s been questioned a lot (deservedly so with some of their roster moves), it was nice to see a little fire from the coach.

His confidence isn’t the only reason to believe an upset can happen either. Here we look at five more reasons to believe Dallas will head into Southern California and walk out with a win.

5 reasons the Cowboys will beat the Rams in Week 5

5. Rams have struggled against the pass

This hasn’t been the best season for the Rams when it comes to stopping the pass. Heading into this contest, they’re 20th in the NFL in yards surrendered, giving up 997 so far through the air.

On Monday, they were unable to stop Jimmy Garoppolo when it mattered and Cooper Rush has been playing better than Garoppolo — who was nearly traded this offseason.

Rush is also playing with extreme confidence this year. He’s taking shots downfield and trusting his wideouts to make the plays. He hasn’t been playing the way a backup with limited experience has which has not only turned him into a cult hero but it’s also kept this offense looking as explosive as it does when Dak Prescott is under center.

That confidence coupled with the Rams’ current struggles is one reason to believe Dallas will make this one tougher than expected on the home team.

4. Dallas O-line will be up to the task

Week 1 was a frustrating start to the season for Dallas. They not only began the year with a loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (again), but they also lost Dak Prescott to a thumb injury.

Prescott’s hand was hit while attempting a pass and that wasn’t the only time he had to try and play in a muddy pocket. All night against Tampa Bay, No. 4 was feeling the heat. He was sacked twice and even though he didn’t play near as many snaps, Cooper Rush also got taken down twice before being able to get the pass off.

Since then, however, it’s been a completely different story from the offensive line. Rush has been sacked just twice in the past three weeks as Tyler Smith has begun to ease into his role as a starting left tackle and Terence Steele has improved on the right side.

We all know Zack Martin is doing his thing but they’ve also added a new wrinkle with Jason Peters coming in to play left guard for a couple of series in Week 4. He should continue to see the field since he was so effective, especially in the run game.

Looking ahead to their Week 5 showdown, the Cowboys are about to face Aaron Donald, who is the best defensive lineman in the league right now. As good as he is, this O-line is playing incredibly well and as long as they can give Rush time to throw and open up holes for the backs, this could be a game that Dallas again dictates the pace.

3. Los Angeles is one-dimensional on offense

As good as the Rams can be at passing the ball, they might have a challenge on their hands this weekend. The Cowboys have been great at generating pressure, and have already recorded 15 sacks this year. On Sunday, they could continue to add to that number since the Rams have no running game to force the Dallas pass-rushers to back off.

Right now, L.A. is 30th in the league in yards on the ground and they continue to feed the ball to Cam Akers despite his struggles. Akers is averaging just 3.1 yards per attempt but has more rushes than Darrell Henderson, who has 4.1 yards per carry.

Hopefully, for Dallas, this trend continues. While they don’t exactly boast a powerful run defense, they’re not likely to be run over by Akers given his ineffectiveness through the first four games.

As long as the running game is held in check, the Cowboys will be able to get after Stafford — and they have more than enough options when it comes to rushing the passer. In fact, McCarthy says there are players he wishes could get more snaps based on their performance but depth is a “problem.”

The coach went on to praise others, including Chauncey Golston and Trysten Hill who have also stepped up when called upon.

Dan Quinn deserves a ton of credit for his defense but they’ve also done a good job landing players who fit his scheme and cause problems for opposing offenses. That should be the case again on Sunday, which is another reason to believe in the ‘Boys.

2. Matthew Stafford keeps throwing to the wrong team

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the opponent knows you’re throwing it all the time, Los Angeles also continues to see their passes land in the arms of the wrong team.

Matthew Stafford is a great quarterback, that’s not debatable. He was the No. 1 overall pick in 2009 and was a huge reason the Rams finally got over the hump and won it all in 2021. It’s also not debatable that he can’t stop himself from throwing the ball to the wrong team.

During his first season with the Rams, he had 4,886 yards passing and 41 touchdowns. He also led the NFL with 17 picks and he nearly lost his shot at a title when he threw a pass that should have been intercepted in the NFC Championship game but San Francisco safety Jaquiski Tartt dropped it. Now in 2022, Stafford has picked up where he left off this year. Through four games, Stafford has thrown six picks and again leads the NFL.

Dallas, on the other hand, has been a very opportunistic team with four interceptions to start the season. Two of those have come from Trevon Diggs, who led the league with 11 last year.

That’s a great recipe for the Cowboys, who should be able to take the ball away more than once against the very giving Stafford.

1. The return of Michael Gallup made a huge difference

For the first couple of games this season, the Dallas passing attack had its share of ups and downs. In Week 4 against Washington, that wasn’t the case.

While the overall numbers weren’t eye-popping, the efficiency was vastly improved. Rush had his highest quarterback rating of the season and also had his first multi-touchdown game of the year as well. On top of that, they got a couple of pass interferences that helped moved the ball downfield which aren’t seen in the box score.

The reason for this improvement might be a reflection of the struggles Washington has had, but it also had a lot to do with the return of Michael Gallup,

In his first action since tearing his ACL at the end of last season, Gallup had two receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown. He also drew two flags for pass interference.

Again, the numbers won’t blow anyone away but the attention he commands is evident. CeeDee Lamb had more freedom and answered with six receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown while Noah Brown added 61 yards on three catches.

Gallup’s presence helped and that was just the first step in his return. Now that he’s able to suit up, he’s going to focus on returning to his normal explosive self, as he gets more and more comfortable with his surgically repaired knee.

Dallas Cowboys vs LA Rams Week 5: history, key players, projection

The Dallas Cowboys travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in Week 5. Let's look at the history of the matchup, a few key players, and a prediction.