On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys 30-22 in a tightly contested game to earn a ticket to the NFC Championship. It was their first playoff win since 2004, and the first under 32 year old head coach Sean McVay. They will take on the Saints in New Orleans at 3:30 on Sunday.
While this game was not the most exciting of ones, it proved to be a good matchup. The questionable Rams defense completely shut out al-pro Ezekiel Elliot, limiting him to a mere 47 yards. Meanwhile, the strong Cowboys front seven looked liked Swiss cheese, letting CJ Anderson and Todd Gurley run for 238 yards and a combined three touchdowns.
In order to beat the Saints next week, the Rams should try a similar offensive game plan. Running the ball will tire out opposing defenses, which is when Jared Goff can be at his best, without a pass rush. The Rams will need to hold the ball a lot on offense as their secondary has been extremely shaky throughout the year, despite having Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.
In Dallas, all hope is not lost. Despite having many playoff struggles since the Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith-Michael Irvin era, the Cowboys look to be a contender for the next decade. They have very little locker room struggles, and have a young core cantered around many key players, like Elliot and Amari Cooper. On the defensive side, Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith look to be the most fearsome linebacker tandem the league has seen in a very long time.
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