DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Los Angeles Rams by the final score of 22-10 in Week 5 to complete the Super Bowl sweep in which they beat both of their matchups against last year’s title participants.
What was once thought to be impossible, to go on the road and come out victorious against the Super Bowl champions, was achieved thanks to a relentless defense, standout special teams play, and a timely explosive run from an improving ground game.
Week 5 represented the biggest test to date for quarterback Cooper Rush and the Dallas defense, but the team had the cheat sheet for beating the Rams to claim their fourth straight win. The Cowboys are now 4-1 on the season and kept pace with the rest of the division leaders with the upset, proving that they are indeed no one’s underdog.
Here’s how it broke down for the Cowboys in their most impressive win to date in 2022:
Offense
Despite the win, the Cowboys had their worst yardage output under Rush, who completed just 10 passes for 102 yards. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s game plan clearly relied on the running game as the run-to-pass split was 31 called runs versus 16 passes.
Utilizing the one-two punch of running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, the Cowboys ran for 162 yards. It was an effective running game that included a 57-yard lightning bolt touchdown run from Pollard that gave the Cowboys the lead after the defense had allowed a big play score of their own.
The other big play from the offense came courtesy of WR Michael Gallup. With the Cowboys facing a 3rd & 16 at their own 31-yard line to open the second half, Rush lofted a pass down the sideline for Gallup, who adjusted and managed to come down with the ball for a 27-yard gain. The beautiful catch was a timely play that led to three points to force the Rams to play catchup.
Special Teams
Dallas continues to show that special teams can play a huge role in winning games. On the second Rams possession of the game, the Dallas defense forced a punt, which was blocked by defensive end Dorance Armstrong.
After already being up 6-0 without possessing the ball on offense, John Fassel’s group set the Cowboys up for more points with a short field after recovering the blocked punt at the Los Angeles 20-yard line.
The result of Armstrong’s block was adding three more points to the scoreboard and going up 9-0 early in the game.
Defense
We’re running out of adjectives to say how good this defense is for the Cowboys. The dominance began on the first series of the game, and it continued as they stifled the Rams for most of the afternoon. Armstrong’s strip sack and fellow defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence’s scoop and score on the first possession set the tone for the game.
The defense would ultimately sack Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford five times, force three turnovers, and give up just 38 rushing yards and 10 points. The Rams’ offense didn’t score a point after halftime as the Dallas defense took over the game.
Despite being hampered by a groin injury, star defender Micah Parsons proved that he might be the best defensive player in the game. After Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald staked his claim in the first half, Parsons answered with two sacks in the last 30 minutes, which included forcing a holding call that stalled a drive. Parsons’ sack and forced fumble effectively ended the game, and ended the beatdown of Stafford, who was battered all game.
The Cowboys own one of the best defenses in the league and have yet to allow 20 or more points in any of their five contests.
Intangibles
There isn’t an easy and convenient way to measure exactly how Dallas has turned things around, but they continue to show their resiliency. For the third time in three games, when the Cowboys hit a little adversity, and got behind on the scoreboard, they responded.
This week, after giving up a demoralizing 75-yard touchdown to Rams WR Cooper Kupp, the offense answered with a three-play, 75-yard drive that swiftly ended on Pollard's shifty 57-yard scoring run. It felt especially appropriate that it wasn’t a lengthy drive to reply, but a quick score to put the pressure right back on the Rams.
That score allowed the Cowboys to go up 16-10 and they never trailed in the game again.
Good teams answer scores with scores and the Cowboys did that for a third straight game. With that counterpunch mentality, the defense dug in and executed the game plan to attack and harass Stafford into mistakes.
The Cowboys remain dominant on defense, are getting timely drives on offense, and are winning the special teams battle weekly. All three of those phases showed up again for Dallas against the Rams as they simply refuse to let any mid-game misfortune prevent them from winning.
These Dallas Cowboys are 4-1, and they’re for real.
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