4 winners (and 3 losers) for Cowboys in preseason loss vs. Rams

Alert the presses, folks: The Dallas Cowboys will not go undefeated until January after they fell to the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday's preseason game. Both teams traded field goals until the final seconds, as the Rams scored the game-winning touchdown with seconds left in regulation.

Of course, the final score does not matter whatsoever. The preseason is all about evaluating talent and giving players on the roster bubble a chance to compete and prove they belong on an NFL roster, whether it be with the Cowboys or another team.

Despite the result, a number of players showed out in the game and improved their chances of making the team. However, it wasn't a perfect afternoon for everyone on the roster.

Winners and losers after Cowboys lose to Rams in preseason

Winner: Markquese Bell

Bell is a shoo-in for a roster spot, but he was arguably the Cowboys' top performer on both sides of the ball. Back at his natural safety position after filling in at linebacker last season, Bell made plays at all three levels.

The former undrafted free agent led the team with nine tackles in limited action and he would've had two interceptions if not for a drop in the end zone. After a year at linebacker, it looked natural for Bell to drop into the box and clog running lanes. He'll have a big role to play on Mike Zimmer's defense this season.

Loser: CB Eric Scott jr.

It's not often that DBs who haul in an interception end up on the "loser" side of the pendulum, but it's fully deserved for Scott. The second-year DB had an egregious tackle attempt on the opening drive of the game that resulted in a chunk play for the Rams. Scott tried to make an arm tackle and the Rams receiver bounced off it without breaking a sweat.

Later in the first half, Scott was penalized for a late tackle out of bounds. It seemingly came from frustration from his rough half, but that is obviously no excuse. The 2023 sixth-round pick had some rough moments in coverage as well that won't look good on film.

Winner: OT Tyler Guyton

How often is it that a rookie offensive linemen records a pancake on their first-ever NFL snap? Spoiler: it almost never happens. Don't tell that to Guyton, though. The No. 29 overall pick showed relentless pursuit and drove his blocking assignment into the dirt on his first play.

Guyton sent another Rams defender flying as a pull blocker on a running back toss. On another play, the Oklahoma product singlehandedly cleared out the left side of the line that created a huge running lane for Trey Lance. It was an excellent preseason debut for Guyton.

Loser: WR Ryan Flournoy

Cowboys fans are high on Flournoy's potential, but he had a tough go of it on Sunday. While Flournoy came down with two tough catches, he also had a pair of drops, including a brutal one in the red zone. He later fumbled out of bounds and committed an illegal shift penalty. The rookie sixth-round pick needs to play a lot better to squeeze out a roster spot in a crowded receiver room.

Winner: LB DeMarvion Overshown

Overshown was on a pitch count being this was his first game sincee he suffered a torn ACL last preseason and yet he made his presence felt on very snap. On the second play from scrimmage, Overshown shot out like a cannon from the weak-side linebacker spot to blow up an outside run.

The 2023 third-round pick only made three tackles, but he was buzzing all over the field. He looks fully recovered from his ACL injury.

Loser: QB Trey Lance

Lance wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but he struggled with accuracy and finishing off drives with touchdowns in the red zone. Both issues have plagued Lance throughout training camp. It also doesn't look great that he averaged 4.6 yards per attempt.

The 24-year-old made plays with his legs, but also had a brutal overthrow on a fade route on 4th and goal. He missed high on a number of other throws as well and struggled to put his receivers in a position to make plays after the catch. He needs to show a lot of improvement over the final two preseason games to beat out Cooper Rush for the backup job.

Winner: DT Mazi Smith

It took just one drive for Mazi Smith to show a clear improvement from last season. Smith had three tackles on the first drive alone, including a TFL. However, Smith's most notable play came when he sniffed out a screen pass on second down in the red zone. He showed great pursuit to stop the ball-carrier shy of the first down.

Smith's recognition took out one Rams blocker and allowed linebackers Damone Clark and Nick Vigil to swoop in for the gang tackle short of the sticks. The 2023 first-round pick needs to be more consistent shedding blockers but Sunday was a step in the right direction.

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