Tale of the tape: Rams vs. Cowboys
THOUSANDS OAKS, Calif. -- With the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys set to kickoff on Sunday, we take a closer look at the regular season stats from last year for both teams.
Dallas holds a 18-17 advantage all-time over the Rams, including postseason:
2019 RECORD
Rams: 9-7
Cowboys: 8-8
Comment: A disappointing season for both teams as they failed to meet high expectations and reach the playoffs. For the Cowboys, that meant moving on from longtime head coach Jason Garrett and bringing in former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. For the Rams, it’s been wholesale changes on both sides of the ball, including new coordinators on offense (Kevin O’Connell), defense (Brandon Staley) and special teams (John Bonamego).
Points Per Game
Rams: 24.6 (11)
Cowboys: 27.1 (6)
Comment: Both teams have a handful of playmakers on offense and should be able to move the football. For those keeping track at home, over/under for Sunday is 51.5 points.
Total offense
Rams: 374.9 yards per game (7)
Cowboys: 431.5 yards per game (1)
Comment: Interested to see if the Cowboys’ offense more closely resembles McCarthy’s version of the West Coast offense in Green Bay, or if offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has more of an influence on what Dallas runs on game day. Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said he anticipates Moore calling the shots on Sunday.
Rush offense
Rams: 93.7 yards per game (26)
Cowboys: 134.6 yards per game (5)
Comment: Cowboys ran for a hefty 263 rushing yards in a rout against the Rams last season, so L.A. has to play more stout run defense.
Pass offense
Rams: 281.2 yards per game (4)
Cowboys: 296.8 passing yards a game (2)
Comment: Dallas has a trio of receivers that will be hard for the Rams to contain in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and rookie speedster CeeDee Lamb.
Time of possession
Rams: 29:01 (22)
Cowboys: 29.33 (18)
Comment: Look for Sean McVay to use up-tempo offense to wear down Dallas defense.
Opponents points per game
Rams: 22.8 (17)
Cowboys: 20.1 (11)
Comment: Rams have to do better than holding teams to 23 points a contest if they expect to be a top-10 defense in 2020.
Total defense
Rams: 339.6 yards per game (13)
Cowboys: 327 yards per game (9)
Comment: As a former NFL linebacker liked to tell me weekly: “Yards don’t matter, points do.”
Rush Defense
Rams: 113.1 yards per game (19)
Cowboys: 103.5 yards per game (11)
Comment: The Rams allowed five, 100-yard rushers last season.
Pass Defense
Rams: 226.6 yards per game (12)
Cowboys: 223.5 yards per game (10)
Comment: Rams allowed just 40 passing plays of 20-plus yards, tied for third best in the league last season.
Sacks made/Yards
Rams: 50 (4)
Cowboys: 39 (19)
Comment: Cowboys pass rush should be more dangerous with the addition of Everson Griffen.
Interceptions
Rams: 13 (T12)
Cowboys: 7 (T30)
Comment: Rams should have some match-up opportunities against Dallas secondary.
Turnover differential
Rams: 0 (T15)
Cowboys: minus-1 (T18)
Comment: A top priority of the Rams on defense is doing a better job of taking the ball away.
