The Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams are headed to Hawaii, but there won’t be any vacation time on this trip. The Cowboys and Rams will square off in a Week 2 preseason game on Saturday in what could be a playoff preview in the NFC this season. Both the Cowboys and Rams will be without their main stars in this game, and each team is looking to play better this week.
The Los Angeles Rams did very little right in their Week 1 loss to the Oakland Raiders. The Rams scored just three points in suffering a 14-3 defeat in their preseason opener. Dallas had an impressive first half, but then things fell apart in Week 1. The Cowboys blew an early lead and lost a 17-9 decision to the San Francisco 49ers a week ago. Dallas is a 3.0-point favorite over the Los Angeles Rams in this showdown in Hawaii.
Rams Have Very Little Offensive Depth
The Los Angeles Rams might have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, but they don’t have very much depth. The Rams will be without all of their offensive stars again, and Los Angeles failed to get anything going in its Week 1 loss. Los Angeles had just 180 yards of total offense, despite having one of the best playbooks in the league, with Blake Bortles managing just 50 yards passing in his Rams debut. The Rams will face a much tougher defense this weekend, and it could be another low-scoring game.
The defense actually held the Raiders to just 14 points in their Week 1 loss, but they gave up a lot of huge plays. The Rams allowed more than 400 yards of total offense against Oakland and were burned for 149 rushing yards. Los Angeles is going to face a Cowboys team that wants to run the ball, and that might spell disaster for the Rams.
Dallas Defense Should Be Solid Again
Dallas was one of the top defensive teams in the NFL a season ago, and they looked sharp in their preseason opener. The Cowboys did allow over 330 yards to the San Francisco 49ers, but much of that damage came in the fourth quarter. Dallas has some talented young pieces on the defensive side of the ball, and they should cause some havoc against the second-string Rams offense in this game.
Dak Prescott went 4 for 4 for 23 yards in his one series of work in the preseason opener and could see a bit more playing time in this one. Kicker Brett Maher was the offensive star, making three of his four field-goal attempts a week ago. The Cowboys are still without running back Ezekiel Elliott, and there is a healthy competition going on to take over the running back job while he’s out.
Cowboys Beat Up on Rams’ Reserves
The Los Angeles Rams were in the Super Bowl last season and are an early favorite to get there again. Head coach Sean McVay is comfortable resting his stars the entire preseason, and he isn’t worried about winning. Dallas will also be without several stars, but the Cowboys have some positional battles heating up. Dallas has more to play for in this game, and that will give it the edge to win the game. Bet the Dallas Cowboys -3.0 over the Los Angeles Rams.
