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The Cowboys did everything nobody though they'd do, and the Rams had no answers. Thanks for tuning in folks, and see you next time!
What would an NFL week be if there wasn't some sort of controversy on the field, and if that controversy didn't involve the Dallas Cowboys? Their 44-21 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Rams, which wasn't nearly as close as the final score implies, began with a coin flip they wanted to defer on, but referee Walt Anderson instead didn't hear Dak Prescott say "defer"-- leading him to ask, "Do you want to kick?" and Prescott said, "Yes."
The problem there is to defer means the Cowboys get the ball first to start the second half, but to "kick" means the Rams would get the ball to start both halves. Disaster was averted for the Cowboys, however, as the officials allowed them to receive to start the third quarter.
With that mess rightly sorted, Dallas started the second half with a drive the ended in the first career Cowboys field goal attempt for Kai Forbath -- signed this week to replace a now-released Brett Maher -- with the veteran kicker's successful boot extending the lead to four scores. The Rams continued their struggles after halftime, fully out of sorts in both the air and on the ground, with Todd Gurley being completely bottled up on the run game -- their defense doing nothing to contribute to anything but a loss on Sunday.
In the end, it was a game the Cowboys entered as underdogs but made that irrelevant by flat out-gutting the Rams, and retaining their seat atop the NFC East.
Why the Cowboys won
There were several reasons the Cowboys walked away with victory, but most of it revolved around what All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott was able to do -- in the air and on the ground. Elliott had 103 rushing yards early in the second half, and finished with 160 total yards from scrimmage to go along with two touchdowns, becoming only the third player in franchise history with at least 100 rushing yards in more than 25 games. An impressive day from rookie Tony Pollard -- returned in Week 15 from an ankle injury -- made the Cowboys rushing attack too much for the Rams to handle, racking up 131 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own. It also marks the second game this season wherein the Cowboys had two 100-yard rushers.
From there, the passing attack and a three-for-three day by Forbath helped seal the casket.
Why the Rams lost
Unlike Elliott, the Rams couldn't get Todd Gurley to blast off in Week 15. At one point early in the fourth quarter, he had only 11 rushing yards on the day, and although he did contribute two TDs to the contest, he was unable to do anything else, considering he finished with only 18 yards on the ground. Bottling up Gurley put a ton of stress on Goff to save the day, but he couldn't. When he wasn't being pressured, the former first-round pick was tossing inaccurate passes, and when his passes were on point, the Rams receivers were dropping them.
Defensively, they had no answer for Elliott or Pollard, and eventually the ceiling would collapse in the first half, and finish falling on them in the second.
Turning Point
Just when the Rams thought they could turn the game around after driving down the field to score a touchdown, Prescott and Tavon Austin would answer with one of their own, and the Cowboys never looked back.
Play of the Game
Sean Lee didn't practice at all this week with an injury to his thigh and pectoral muscle, but it didn't matter, because he finished the game with a key sack on Jared Goff. It was this interception with 1:33 remaining in the first half, along with the aforementioned sack and four tackles, that stole the show and helped set the tone for the usually-beleaguered Cowboys defense.
The score was 21-7 at the time, but thanks to Lee, the Cowboys went into the half with a chunky 28-7 lead; and he did it with a bad wheel.
The Cowboys didn't beat themselves
"This is the Cowboys team we have all been waiting for!! Complete team win -- they dominated on offense, defense and [special] Teams." - Jesse Holley of Hanging with the Boys
What's next
The Cowboys now face an all-important divisional rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles, while the Rams enter a must-win against the San Francisco 49ers.
Catch all the highlights and action from you might've missed in the live blog below.
