The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys Saturday in L.A. Memorial Coliseum in the divisional round of the playoffs by a final score of 30 – 22. Dallas was still in the game right up to the last two minutes.
The Rams led in total yards, 459 – 308 and time of possession 36:13 – 23:47. Quarterback Dak Prescott was 20 of 32 on passing for 266 yards and one touchdown. Ezekiel Elliot had 47 yards rushing and one touchdown. Prescott also had one rushing touchdown.
Michael Gallup had 6 catches for 199 yards. Amari Cooper had 6 catches for 65 yards.
On the opening drive, the Cowboys kicked off to the Rams, who started at their own 25. The Rams, on 11 plays, went 68 yards – helped by two Cowboys penalties.
With 9:44 left in the first quarter, Greg Zuerlein kicked a 25-yard field goal for the Rams.
The Rams led the Cowboys 3 – 0.
On the next drive, it looked like the Rams had stopped the Cowboys at mid-field. With 6:29 on the clock, the Cowboys went for it on 4th down and 1. Ezekiel Elliot took the handoff for 5 yards and a first down. Elliot was seen limping after the play, but he stayed in the game.
Then, after the whistle, the Rams picked up an unnecessary roughness penalty to bring Dallas down to the 29.
That set up a pass from Dak Prescott to Amari Cooper on the very next play for a touchdown.
The Cowboys led 7 – 3 with just more than 6:00 minutes left in the first quarter.
On the very next drive, Dallas seemed to have stopped the Rams at mid-field. But the Rams decided to go for it on 4th down and 1. With about 3:00 left on the clock, quarterback Jared Goff ran up the middle for three yards and a first down.
The Rams continued the drive into the start of the second quarter. A nine-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Brandin Cooks was called back on video replay. It was ruled as an incomplete pass.
A subsequent pass to Cooks in the end zone was also no good because Cooks was ruled out of bounds. The Rams kicked a 23-yard field goal.
With 13:40 left in the second quarter, the Cowboys led the Rams 7 – 6.
On the next drive, Dallas punted from the 38. The Rams took over at their own 24.
On a nine-play drive, C.J. Anderson capped it off for the Rams with a one-yard touchdown run with 7:00 left.
Rams led the Cowboys 13 – 7.
On the next possession, the Cowboys punted from their own 30. The Rams took over at their own 36.
Seven plays later, and with 3:27 left, Todd Gurley ran the ball 35 yards for the touchdown.
The Rams led 20 – 7.
After the kickoff, Dallas took over at the 19-yard line. On 3rd down and 7 at the 36, a controversial call stopped Dallas. Prescott was ruled in the grasp and sacked. But no Rams player had a hold of Prescott at that moment. On 4th down and 15, Dallas punted. The Rams took over at their own 26.
Rams then put together a 6-play drive that ended with a field goal attempt. Zurlein’s 63-yard attempt with no time left on the clock was no good.
The L.A. Rams led the Dallas Cowboys 20 – 6 at halftime.
The Cowboys, one the opening drive of the second half went three and out.
The Rams looked unstoppable with a drive that brought them down to the 22-yard line until a fumble led to lost yards and 4th down. The Rams kicked a 44-yard field goal with just more than 10:00 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Rams led the Cowboys 23 – 7.
On the next possession, the Cowboys started from their own 25. A big catch by Michael Gallup, 25 yards, put the Cowboys at mid-field. The drive might have stalled a few plays later as Dallas had the ball 4th down and 1 on the L.A. 41.
Elliot took the toss for a yard run and 1st down. Moments later, a 10-yard holding penalty didn’t do Dallas any favors. But Gallup again came to the rescue with a 44-yard catch. That put Dallas down to the 2-yard line.
Two plays later, Elliot punched through the middle for a one-yard TD run. Dallas went for two points and made it.
With 5:20 left in the third quarter, the Rams led the Cowboys 23 – 15.
Dallas got a much-needed stop of the Rams at mid-field. With 4th and 2, the Rams elected to punt but were flagged for delay of game. With a little more than 3:00 left in the third quarter, the Rams punted 29 yards to put the Cowboys at their own 23.
Dallas drove to into Rams territory, and the Cowboys found themselves again 4th down and 1 at the 35. Elliot tried to run up the middle but was stopped during the first play of the fourth quarter. Dallas turned it over on downs.
Los Angeles made Dallas pay for that failed drive. L.A. made it to 4th and goal to go on the 1-yard line. The Rams handed off to Anderson for the touchdown.
With 7:16 left in the game, the Rams led the Cowboys 30 – 15.
On the next possession, Dallas started at the 25. Having driven to just inside Rams territory, the Cowboys found themselves facing 4th down and 1. They went for it, and Prescott on the quarterback-keeper ran for it to make the first down.
On the next set of downs, the Dallas offense found itself 4th and 3 on the 22. Prescott scrambled and threw to the end zone. The pass was incomplete, but the Rams were called for pass interference.
That put Dallas on the 1 with a first down. Two plays later, Prescott kept the ball himself for a touchdown run.
With 2:11 left, the Rams led the Cowboys 30 – 22.
The Rams took over their own 25. Two short running plays took the clock down to the 2:00 minute warning.
Goff on the quarterback-keeper got 11 yards and the first down. That may well have been the play that sealed the game for Los Angeles.
The Rams go on. The Cowboys season has come to end.
