The Los Angeles Rams host the Dallas Cowboys in the first Sunday night football game of the season, debuting the $5 billion SoFi Stadium. Without any preseason games, both teams will be looking to identify themselves early. The Cowboys lead the series 18-17 and have won three of the last five competitions. Neither team made the postseason last year and will be looking to start the season off strong with a win.
Missing the playoffs for the first time under coach Sean McVay, the outlook for the Rams is murky. In the offseason, they lost key veteran players; Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Dante Fowler, and Cory Littleton. Quarterback, Jared Goff, declined last year with 4,638 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, and a career-high 16 interceptions. The Rams will also have a rotating backfield with running backs: Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson, and Cam Akers.
New Coach
Mike McCarthy inherited an extremely talented Cowboys team on paper, that has only won one playoff game in the last five years. Without reaching a long term contract, Dak Prescott is going to have to prove himself once again. Prescott threw the second-most yards with 4,901 yards through the air last year. He also had 30 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Zeke Elliott recently stated he “wants to win above all else,” when asked about trying to reclaim the rushing title. Back-up running back, Tony Pollard, will get his share in the backfield as well as wide receiver opportunities to spark his second year in the league. The three-headed monster on the offense comes from wide receivers; Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and rookie CeeDee Lamb.
Head to Head
What’s the history of these two teams? While the Cowboys lead the head-to-head matchups, the Rams lead 5-4 in the postseason where it really matters. Actually, the last post-season game the Cowboys had, was against the Rams where the Rams won 30-22. The teams played three times consecutively from 2006-2008 with former Cowboys offensive coordinator, Scott Lineman, who was the head coach for the Rams during that time. However, McCarthy has faced the Rams seven times and won five of them. Special teams coordinator, John Fassel shockingly left the Rams last season and joined the Cowboys squad. The Rams former kicker, Greg Zuerlein, also plays with a star on his helmet now. Could the coaching changes and young rosters kick-off a future rival over the next decade?
Game Info
Date: Sunday, September 13th
Start Time: 7:20 PM
Location: Los Angeles, California
Stadium: SoFi Stadium
TV Info: NBC
Betting Odds
Point Spread: DAL: -3 (-104) | LAR: +3 (-118)
Moneyline: DAL: -152 | LAR: +125
Over/Under: 51.5
This will be a close game as both offenses have the opportunity to score on almost any play. It may come down to whoever has the ball last that will come out on top. The game also has the potential to be a very high scoring game if both teams can find the end-zones. I would take the Cowboys on the money line with a parlay with other NFL teams on Sunday.
Prediction
Mike McCarthy has a lot of fire under his belt after missing an entire season and is looking to put the NFL on notice. Mike Nolan also has the defense playing to the ball and I think the Cowboys win will on all three sides of the ball.
Final Score: Cowboys 30, Rams 23
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
