The Dallas Cowboys rode into Los Angeles to face Aaron Donald and the Rams and came away with a 22-10 victory. It is the fourth straight win for Dallas with Cooper Rush at quarterback, but the lights-out play of the entire defense earned the win.
Early in the week, linebacker Micah Parsons compared the current defensive unit with the legendary unit from the 1970s that came to be known as the “Doomsday Defense.” While the comparison drew some raised eyebrows from members of the media, the Cowboys managed to hold the Rams to only 10 points, marking five straight games allowing less than 20 points. The only other Dallas defense to accomplish the feat? The 1972 Doomsday unit that Parsons referenced earlier in the week.
The Cowboys had only 263 yards of total offense, with Rush completing only 10 of 16 passes and 102 yards. Tony Pollard led the team rushing with 86 yards, but broke off a 57-yard touchdown in the second quarter — the only offensive TD for Dallas — that established the Cowboys’ lead for the remainder of the game. Ezekiel Elliott carried 22 times, but with an average of only 3.5 yards per touch, he gained just 78 yards.
From the first snaps of the game, the Dallas defense dominated. On third-and-one in the first series, Dorance Armstrong busted through the Rams line and buried quarterback Matthew Stafford who fumbled the ball on the hit. Demarcus Lawrence scooped up the loose ball and trotted to the endzone for an early score. The Cowboys attempted a two-point try, but failed.
The sack was the first of five, with Stafford’s line failing to protect him on 11 plays. Stafford fumbled twice, losing both balls to the Cowboys. Stafford also tossed an interception in the fourth quarter as the Rams were driving into the red zone. Safety Malik Hooker earned the takeaway that came one play after Osa Odighizuwa sacked Stafford.
Throughout the week, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was a big talking point. Donald is considered one of the best defensive players of the game and a player that Parsons says he admires but doesn’t try to emulate. Donald had six tackles, two solos, two sacks, and a tackle for loss in the game.
Parsons matched him, earning five tackles, three solos, two sacks, and a tackle for loss. Parsons went out in the second quarter with a groin injury but was able to return after halftime and was an integral part of keeping the Rams off balance all day.
Ultimately, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has the Cowboys’ defense in a position to continue winning big games even without star quarterback Dak Prescott fueling a high-scoring offense. Prescott is still rehabbing a fracture to his thumb suffered in Week 1 and has not fully returned to practicing yet. Head Coach Mike McCarthy has said that Prescott will not start until he has at least a full week of practice, a step that has not yet happened.
The Cowboys will face the NFL’s only unbeaten team next week when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, and quarterback Jalen Hurts. While shutting down Donald and the Rams was the biggest challenge of the season so far, knocking off the high-flying Eagles may be a bigger challenge.
