Back the Rams Against the Cowboys

Cowboys vs. Rams 4:05 ET

If you like nice stories, you probably are thrilled about the Cowboys and how they have responded to losing Dak Prescott. Cooper Rush is playing rather well and they are now 3-1 with more promise than they did in the first game of the season when they had Dak. The Rams are still playing good football and probably should be the favorite to come out of the NFC.

As mentioned, Rush is doing everything he can to play well and put them in a position to win the game. He has four touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception. Without Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb has been awesome and stepped into the role of the primary receiver. The two-headed running attack seems to be working pretty well with Ezekiel Elliott still getting the bulk of carries. Their defense has also stepped up and is only allowing opponents to get 15.5 points per game. Opponents haven't scored over 17 points against them in any of the past three games. They are allowing more rushing yards than I expected them to, but their pass defense is what keeps them in the game.

The Rams, off of their Super Bowl win, have still looked good in the campaign. How do they beat the Cowboys in this one? I think the key could be Cam Akers. Look, everyone knows about how good Cooper Kupp has been. He's getting a lot of looks in the offense and will continue to even against the strong Cowboys secondary. I think getting Akers into space would allow the Rams to implement a better selection of plays. I also think this is a game to try and get Allen Robinson going a bit more. It doesn't seem like he has much of a rapport with Stafford yet. I need to see the Rams defense also getting some more interceptions and forced fumbles. Aaron Donald hasn't fully been unleashed either. I think that could be this game.

The Cowboys offensive line hasn't been great despite keeping Cooper Rush upright for most of these games. Their running game is still struggling a bit and against a defense like the Rams, I think we can see the mismatch. I expect them to get a lot of penetration against the Cowboys front line and make it very tough on their offense. The Rams should be able to get what they need. I'm taking Los Angeles to cover against the Cowboys here at -4.5.

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