Dallas Cowboys: Studs and duds vs. Rams in Week 15
Off a three-game losing streak, the Dallas Cowboys were dominant in a win over the Rams in Week 15 and these were the studs and duds for the ‘Boys.
It was hard to find anything optimistic to say about the Dallas Cowboys after the last three weeks as they entered a Week 15 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Coming off of three consecutive losses to the Patriots, Bills and shockingly the Bears, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys sat at just 6-7 and hanging onto the NFC East lead by a thread.
Then Sunday happened. You’d have thought that the Dallas Cowboys had just taken the last three weeks off by the way they played in AT&T Stadium on Sunday against the Rams. Prescott wasn’t asked to do too much as Ezekiel Elliott and the run game, along with the defense, controlled the game and made it a rout for the Cowboys, even more so than the 44-21 final score would indicate.
As the Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles essentially for the NFC East title next week, this was a huge confidence boost for Jason Garrett‘s team. But looking at the win over the Rams, these were the studs and duds from Dallas (heavy on the studs, as you’d expect).
Stud: Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, RB
Among many frustrations about the Cowboys recently has been their inconsistent usage of the run game. Even when Ezekiel Elliott has been running successfully, they’ve gotten away from him quickly and it’s been tough to watch the offense sputter when the top-paid running back in the NFL is working well. On Sunday though, both Elliott and rookie Tony Pollard feasted on the Rams defense.
Elliott was pulled midway through the fourth quarter as the game had already been secured by the Cowboys but still finished with 24 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns while also catching three balls for 43 yards. Not to be outdone, Pollard finished with 12 carries for 131 yards and a 44-yard score that served as an exclamation point.
When Dallas’ offense is able to run the ball like this, they are a difficult team to beat.
Stud: Offensive Line
In the same vein as Elliott and Pollard showing out on Sunday, a big reason why they were able to do so was the performance of the offensive line. Even with Xavier Su’a-Filo in for the injured Connor Williams, the Cowboys won in the trenches consistently on Sunday in both the run and passing games, making things easy for them.
Prescott was not sacked once on the day while the Dallas running backs obviously had monster days as the Cowboys controlled everything on the ground. If the O-line plays like this down the stretch, this team is going to be hard for anyone to stop.