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Round 2 of the NFC playoffs gets underway Saturday night when the Dallas Cowboys take on the Los Angeles Rams. Dallas one the NFC East this season with a 10-6 and advanced to the second round courtesy of a 24-22 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams won the NFC West Division, tying the New Orleans Saints for the top record in the NFL at 13-3. Los Angeles won the last playoff meeting between these two teams, defeating Dallas in January of 1986, 20-0.
NFL:
Saturday, January 12, 2019, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles,
California
Ezekiel
Elliot Spurs Cowboys Comeback Win, 24-22
The Dallas Cowboys found themselves trailing 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter of their first-round playoff matchup, but two fourth quarter touchdown runs would give Dallas the lead as they held on for the 24-22 victory. Running back Ezekiel Elliott helped lead the comeback, rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, including the go-ahead touchdown that put the Cowboys back on top.
Quarterback Dak Prescott would score the
decisive touchdown, adding a 1 yard run that capped off a 5:12 drive. Prescott
finished with 226 yards passing and another 29 yards rushing. He both rushed and
threw for a touchdown.
While the defense has recorded only 33
sacks this season, they still make plays. Los Angeles forced 31 turnovers,
including 18 interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. John
Johnson led the team with four interceptions and was second in total tackles
with 119. Aaron Donald led the NFL in sacks with 20.5, an impressive number
considering the team only had 33.
The Rams are averaging 32.9 points per game
while allowing 24.0 points per contest. They are averaging 421 yards of offense
while allowing 358.6 per game.
Trends:
Dallas:
- 1-4 ATS in
their last five games in the playoffs. - 0-4 ATS in
their last four games in January. - 2-5 ATS in
their last seven playoff games on the road.
Los
Angeles:
- 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning
record. - 1-5 ATS in their last six playoff games.
- 1-4 ATS in their last five playoff games at home.
The
Winner Prediction
The Rams have one of the most exciting teams in the NFL and have a variety of weapons that are going to be difficult for Dallas to contain. Not only do they have two stars in Goff and Gurley, but they have a great offensive line that provides plenty of protection.
Dallas is not a scoring machine, and they
are going to need at least 30 points to win this contest. Considering that they
only reached that mark two times this year doesn’t bode well for them. Look for
Los Angeles to dominate this game, scoring early and running away with it.
The
Pick: Los Angeles Rams -7.0 (-110)
The
Total
The total is set
at 49.0 for this contest. Offensive Lee, the two teams combined for 54 points
per game while allowing 44 points per contest. Clearly, the oddsmakers split
the difference.
We look for Los
Angeles to roll over Dallas in this game, which will mean that the Cowboys will
have to throw to win this contest, not a way for them to win. Look for Los
Angeles to pull out the victory 31-14, so take the under.
The
Pick: under 49.0 (-110)
If the Cowboys are going to win this game
it is going to be because of the play of their defense. Dallas is allowing
opponents an average of 21.4 points per game. DeMarcus Lawrence led the team in
sacks during the regular season with 10.5, and Randy Gregory and Tyrone Crawford
had 6.0 and 5.5 sacks respectively. Pressure is going to be necessary against
Rams quarterback Jared Goff if Dallas is going to pull out the victory.
The Cowboys are averaging 21.4 points per
game, gaining 346 yards per game of offense on average. They are going to need
at least 10 more points per game to win this contest. Dallas is allowing 327.5
yards per game with an impressive 93.3 yards rushing per game.
Rams
High Powered Offense Welcomes Cowboys
It is surprising that these two storied
franchises have not squared off in the playoffs since 1986, but it would not be
a surprise to see this rivalry renewed on a regular basis, at least from the
Rams standpoint. Los Angeles has one of the best offenses in football, and they
look to keep it that way behind a star-studded quarterback-running back tandem.
The Rams finish with 401 total points this
season, led by Goff who threw for 4688 yards and 32 touchdowns. He only through
12 interceptions, completing 64.9% of his passes with a 101.1 quarterback
rating. Surprisingly, the Los Angeles quarterback wasn’t even the star of this
offense. Running back Todd Gurley is
the star of the show here, rushing for 1251 yards and 17 touchdowns, this
despite sitting out the last two games of the season. Six times this season
Gurley rushed for at least 100 yards, including a season-high 208 against
Denver on October 14.
While the defense has recorded only 33
sacks this season, they still make plays. Los Angeles forced 31 turnovers,
including 18 interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. John
Johnson led the team with four interceptions and was second in total tackles
with 119. Aaron Donald led the NFL in sacks with 20.5, an impressive number
considering the team only had 33.
The Rams are averaging 32.9 points per game
while allowing 24.0 points per contest. They are averaging 421 yards of offense
while allowing 358.6 per game.
Trends:
Dallas:
- 1-4 ATS in
their last five games in the playoffs. - 0-4 ATS in
their last four games in January. - 2-5 ATS in
their last seven playoff games on the road.
Los
Angeles:
- 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning
record. - 1-5 ATS in their last six playoff games.
- 1-4 ATS in their last five playoff games at home.
The
Winner Prediction
The Rams have one of the most exciting teams in the NFL and have a variety of weapons that are going to be difficult for Dallas to contain. Not only do they have two stars in Goff and Gurley, but they have a great offensive line that provides plenty of protection.
Dallas is not a scoring machine, and they
are going to need at least 30 points to win this contest. Considering that they
only reached that mark two times this year doesn’t bode well for them. Look for
Los Angeles to dominate this game, scoring early and running away with it.
The
Pick: Los Angeles Rams -7.0 (-110)
The
Total
The total is set
at 49.0 for this contest. Offensive Lee, the two teams combined for 54 points
per game while allowing 44 points per contest. Clearly, the oddsmakers split
the difference.
We look for Los
Angeles to roll over Dallas in this game, which will mean that the Cowboys will
have to throw to win this contest, not a way for them to win. Look for Los
Angeles to pull out the victory 31-14, so take the under.
The
Pick: under 49.0 (-110)