Further Review: Breaking Down This Blowout
The Cowboys needed a win in the worst way, and it showed. They dominated the Rams from the jump for their most impressive victory this year. Let's break down how it happened and what's next for the Cowboys.
Player of the Game: He didn't even lead the Cowboys in rushing, but there wasn't a better player on the field than Ezekiel Elliott. Zeke had 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns. But Zeke had 160 all-purpose yards for the 11th time in his career and the first this year. The Cowboys are 11-0 when Zeke gets to 160 in combined yards.
Nemesis: Fourth-year tight end Tyler Higbee is a major part of the Rams' intermediate passing game, and he led all receivers Sunday with 12 catches for 111 yards. But seven of Higbee's catches came in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. Overall, the Cowboys did a solid job bottling up the Rams downfield. L.A. had only two explosive pass plays. That will be critical again this Sunday against another outstanding tight end: Philadelphia's Zach Ertz.
Unsung Hero: Guard Xavier Su'a-Filo and the Cowboys' interior offensive line drew arguably the toughest matchup of the season: Aaron Donald, the Rams' star pass rusher. But Donald had only three tackles (one for loss) Sunday. The Cowboys piled up 263 rushing yards and quarterback Dak Prescott wasn't sacked. A terrific job by the entire line, and Su'a-Filo, who continues to start at left guard for an injured Connor Williams.
Turning Point: Facing third-and-10 at the Rams' 19, it looked like the Cowboys might have to settle for a field goal in the red zone – a concerning trend in their previous losses. That's when tight end Jason Witten made a circus one-handed catch and spun into the end zone for a touchdown, giving Dallas an early 7-0 lead. The Cowboys went on to score points on their next four drives – only the second time this season they've scored on five straight possessions.
Need More From ... The easy answer is the wide receivers, considering the top four pass-catchers all had just one each. Then again, if the Cowboys are going to rush for 263 yards, who needs to pass? But I think we all know the Cowboys need to be balanced in order to win and there will be moments when Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup will be relied on to make plays.
Don't Forget ... Where would this game be without a 20-yard pass to Blake Jarwin on third-and-4 from the Cowboys' 9 early in the second quarter? The Cowboys led just 14-7 and a punt from that spot on the field would've given the Rams great field position to tie the game. But Jarwin goes for 20 yards and the Cowboys eventually kept the momentum rolling, securing a 97-yard touchdown drive to lead 21-7 and never looked back.
Remember Me? While it's unlikely the Rams forgot about former first-round pick Tavon Austin, they did let him roam free for a wide-open touchdown in the second quarter. Austin's 59-yard touchdown reception was his first of the season and just the second since joining the Cowboys, who traded for Austin from the Rams in 2018.
Milestone: Third-year cornerback Jourdan Lewis continues to make impact plays. Lewis' sack on Jared Goff in the fourth quarter gave him 4 for the season, tying Bill Bates (1983) for the second-most sacks by a Cowboys defensive back in a single season in franchise history.
Stat of the Game: The Rams had gotten star running back Todd Gurley more involved in recent weeks. Combine that with L.A.'s rushing total against the Cowboys last year – 273, the most ever against a Cowboys team in the postseason – and the defense knew they had to win up front Sunday. Gurley had 11 carries for 20 yards, his second-lowest total of the season, and his 1.8 yards per carry was a season-low average. The Rams' 22 total rushing yards was the seventh-fewest allowed ever by a Cowboys defense.
Injury Watch: Rookie linebacker Luke Gifford broke his arm against the Rams, and backup cornerback/core special teams contributor C.J. Goodwin injured his thumb and will be re-evaluated. Backup linebacker Joe Thomas hurt his knee in the first half and did not return, but the team is optimistic about his availability moving forward.
Trending Downward: There's not much to pick from in this game, but the Cowboys have had too many offside, encroachment or neutral-zone infractions here lately. Michael Bennett had two more on Sunday against the Rams and actually has eight penalties where he has either jumped over the line or lined up offside to begin with. Bennett has only played in seven games but is averaging more than one per game.
Building Blocks: So many positives to build from after that game. Let's go with the running game, particularly down in the red zone. The Cowboys were able to punch the ball into the end zone against a Top 10 defense in the Rams, who shut them down in the playoffs last January. This time around, the Cowboys flipped the script and pounded the Rams' defense with Zeke and Tony Pollard. If the Cowboys can control the line of scrimmage like that, they can beat any team in the league.
