DALLAS — The bye week appears to have been a boon for the Dallas Cowboys, who came out and demolished the Los Angeles Rams 43-20 in Week 8.
The Cowboys looked refreshed, got out to a hot start, and scored in all three phases for the second time this season on their way to scoring 40+ points for the second time, while also winning by a margin of over 20 points for the fourth time. When Dallas wins, they win big.
After the first 17 minutes of the game, there wasn’t much doubt about the outcome. The Cowboys scored on four of their first five possessions and showed what they were capable of in their finest offensive performance of the season.
Quarterback Dak Prescott was on fire and had his first 300-yard game of 2023 by throwing for 304 yards and four scores. It was a near perfect game from Prescott, who completed 80% of his passes and had an elite QB rating of 133.7.
Prescott’s best scoring throw was his first of the day, a bullet up the seam to tight end Jake Ferguson for an 18-yard touchdown. It was a play that the Cowboys have tried numerous times this season but have failed to connect on until this Week 8 success. Drops and passes that have been just out of the reach of the tight end through six weeks finally paid off on Prescott’s bullet throw that Ferguson caught with his fingertips.
The connection was a sign of things to come for Prescott and the offense, who put up 387 yards of offense in basically three quarters of effort until they spent the rest of the afternoon salting away their victory.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was the biggest recipient from Prescott’s big game, adding one of his own. Lamb had career-highs in catches with 12 and yards with 158, to go along with his two scores. The first touchdown came on a beautiful shake move to get open for the 10-yard score, and the second came off a busted coverage. It was clear that the Cowboys were trying to get Lamb involved early and the All-Pro WR answered the call with over 100-yards by halftime.
The fourth touchdown from Prescott was a 25-yard strike up the right sideline to wide receiver Brandin Cooks. This was the type of big play that was expected from Cooks when the Cowboys acquired the veteran WR. Cooks beat his man quickly and Prescott threw it to a spot deep down the field. It was the first time we’ve seen that connection and type of play from the duo on the season.
Dallas’ defense and special teams weren’t to be outdone in the win. Cornerback DaRon Bland continued his ball-hawking ways when he had a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first quarter. Bland now has four interceptions on the year, three of which have been returned for scores.
The play looked like a miscommunication between quarterback Matthew Stafford and his receiver, but it’s evident that if you make a mistake around Bland, he’s going to make a game-changing play. The touchdown gave the Cowboys a two score lead early, which is a recipe for disaster for opponents.
Special teams got in on the scoring act next, adding a safety on a blocked punt. Sam Williams broke through the line and blocked the punt that went through the back of the end zone for the two-points. The safety increased the lead to 16-points and led to the next backbreaking special teams play.
Return man KaVontae Turpin took the kickoff after the safety and returned it 63-yards to the Rams’ 13-yard line. Two plays later, Lamb scored to push the lead to 23-points and the game was essentially in hand with 12:45 to play in the second quarter.
In the span of seven plays, the Cowboys scored in all three phases of the game, put 16 points on the scoreboard, went up 23 points and took the game over.
This is the winning script for the Cowboys on the season. Get a lead, have the defense attack, and win on special teams. For most of the year, the offense and Prescott have been efficient, but haven’t done a good enough job playing their part. That changed in Week 8.
Head coach Mike McCarthy called his best game of the season and Prescott thrived in the win. The coach allowed Prescott to be aggressive, throwing early in the downs and distance, and his quarterback responded.
The Cowboys dominated in all three phases of the game, and they began the second half of the season with a complete team victory. It was the best performance from the Cowboys in 2023 and a victory that the team will try to build on.
The 43-20 win over the Rams was the Cowboys, and Prescott, that matched the pre-season hype.
Did you like what you saw from the Cowboys’ offense in their Week 8 victory over Los Angeles? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.