Cowboys vs. Rams 2019 Prediction: Dallas' Defense Will Stop Jared Goff, Los Angeles In NFL Playoffs

The Dallas Cowboys were the only favorites to win on Wild-Card Weekend. In the divisional round of the 2019 NFL playoffs, the NFC East champions are hoping to pull off one of the postseason’s biggest upsets.

Dallas is a decided underdog in their first road game of the playoffs. The Cowboys are getting seven points against the Los Angeles Rams Saturday night, per OddsShark, though the gap between the two teams hasn’t appeared to be all that big for much of the season.

A lot has changed since the Rams began the season 8-0 and the Cowboys won just three games in the first nine weeks. That hot start allowed L.A. to secure the NFC’s No.2 seed and a first-round bye, but they weren’t overly impressive down the stretch with a 5-3 record in the second half and two losses in December.

No NFC team had a better second-half record than the Cowboys. Dallas entered the playoffs with seven wins in their last eight games, and they had an impressive victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round.

It isn’t as if Dallas simply took advantage of an easy schedule. They picked up two wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and beat the New Orleans Saints in primetime. The Cowboys also won as road underdogs against the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants.

The Rams bounced back from their Week 9 loss in New Orleans with impressive home wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle. After that, Los Angeles went 3-0 against bad teams and 0-2 against playoff teams. L.A. was even beaten at home, losing 30-23 to Nick Foles and the Eagles.

Los Angeles was dominant against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. They outscored the NFC’s two worst teams by 38 total points in Week 16 and Week 17.

Saturday’s winner will likely be determined by which team’s strength ultimately gets the better of their opponent. Dallas has the best defense of the remaining playoff teams. Los Angeles finished behind only Kansas City in total offense and points per game.

A shootout like the one that took place in L.A. on “Monday Night Football” a couple of months ago would favor the Rams. If the Rams can look anything like the team that put up 54 points on national television, the Cowboys don’t have a shot.

Fortunately for Dallas, that Los Angeles team hasn’t been seen since. The Rams were held to six points in their Week 14 loss to the Chicago Bears. Los Angeles scored 23 points on 5.65 yards per play against Philadelphia in Week 15.

Todd Gurley has been banged up and missed a few games to end the season, but the Rams’ rushing attack didn’t suffer much. It was Jared Goff’s struggles that led to the team’s decrease in production.

Goff had 26 touchdown passes, six interceptions and eight games with a triple-digit passer rating in the team’s 10-1 start. The quarterback posted passer ratings of 68.6, 19.1 and 75.9 over the next three weeks with one touchdown pass and six interceptions. Goff threw for 387 combined yards in Week 13 and Week 14.

Maybe Goff just hit a rough patch and his final two games are a sign that he’s in for a big postseason, but there’s a good chance he’ll struggle against Dallas.

The Cowboys boast top players at each level of the defense. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has 25 sacks in the last two seasons. Rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch finished third in the NFL in tackles and Jaylon Smith ranked in the top 15. Cornerback Byron Jones was a Second-team All-Pro selection.

Dallas won’t win if they need Dak Prescott to put up big overall numbers. The quarterback, however, can certainly make enough big plays in order for the Cowboys to win a lower-scoring game than what the Rams are accustomed to playing.

Prescott has delivered when Dallas has called upon him in crucial moments. The quarterback had a 150.5 passer rating in the regular season when games were tied in the fourth quarter and overtime. Prescott was clutch for the Cowboys against the Seahawks, running for a key first down in the final three minutes and scoring the touchdown that sealed the win for Dallas.

Ezekiel Elliott was the NFL’s rushing leader in the regular season, and he totaled 137 yards on the ground last weekend. He should be very effective against a defense that ranks dead last in opponents’ yards per carry.

Sean McVay’s explosive offense was shut down when the Rams lost as big favorites in their first playoff game last year. Don’t be surprised if that happens again.

Prediction: Dallas over Los Angeles, 20-17