By Alex Al-Kazzaz
With a final score of 43-20, the Dallas Cowboys improved to 5-2, while the Los Angeles Rams dropped to 3-5. Despite Matthew Stafford's best efforts, the Rams' offense could not produce well, and the entire team eventually fell flat. Dak Prescott & Company took advantage and extended their winning streak at home to 11 straight, their longest since the 1991-1992 seasons.
Unfortunately for the Rams, Stafford suffered a thumb injury and had to leave the game during the third quarter. The 15-year veteran QB went 13-for-22 for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Rams Head Coach Sean McVay confirmed that he's unsure if Stafford will miss time due to the injury.
Prescott tossed four touchdowns and had over 300 yards through the air. This was Prescott's eighth career game with four touchdown passes, which ties him with Danny White for second-most in franchise history. CeeDee Lamb's 12 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns was the main highlight for the offense. Lamb's 12 catches in the game is a new career-high, and with 300 career receptions, he's the fastest Cowboy to reach the milestone and the second-fastest to register 4,000 career-receiving yards. Brandon Cooks and Jake Ferguson combined for seven catches for 96 yards, and each scored one touchdown.
Dallas' running game was quiet. Tony Pollard's 12 carries for 53 yards didn't provide much of an impact, but due to the passing game's production, the running game didn't need to do much, if anything. LA's Royce Freeman ran the ball nine times for 44 yards and one score. The Rams' offense overall had very little to no effect despite putting up 20 points and finishing with 280 total yards. Dallas' 387 total yards provided most of the points scored in this game.
DaRon Bland's pick-six in the first quarter was his third for the season and is the most in a season by any Cowboys player. LA's Aaron Donald sacked Prescott twice, while Micah Parsons and Dorance Armstrong got to Stafford once. Jordan Fuller intercepted Prescott in the second quarter. However, the Rams were unable to turn the turnover into points.
While this is another win for Dallas, it cannot be regarded as a big win, considering the Rams are not a very good team. In other words, Dallas has yet to pick up a win against a worthy opponent. Next week, they'll take on the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. The Eagles are 7-1, and Dallas knows that they've got their work cut out for them. A win against the Eagles on the road would benefit Dallas, but they are determined not to allow it.
The Rams take on the Green Bay Packers on the road next. Green Bay is now on a four-game losing streak after a 24-10 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Los Angeles must avoid a three-game losing streak, while Green Bay looks to avoid dropping five straight. Unfortunately, without Stafford, it's not looking good for the Rams.