Aloha! The Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams head to Honolulu, Hawaii for a preseason showdown. It’s Cowboys vs Rams in Preseason Week 2.
Dallas Cowboys
In week 1 of the preseason, Dallas lost 17-9 against the San Francisco 49ers. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed all four passing attempts in his only drive. He caught one of those passes as well though. This happened when his throw was batted by 49ers defensive tackle Sheldon Day. This set up the first of Brett Maher’s three field goals. Also, the entire first-team offense wasn’t on the field because the Ezekiel Elliott holdout continued, as he is seeking a new contract. However, it gave rookie Tony Pollard a chance for a first impression. He ran for 16 yards in four carries on his only drive. The defense also looked solid, as most of the defensive starters played for two drives. Eventually, it didn’t end well for them as the Niners answered back in the fourth quarter.
A lot is on the Cowboys’ mind for this next preseason game. This is a rematch of last season’s NFC Divisionals where the Rams defeated them 30-22. Most of the starters will play, but the rookies and backups will have to improve if they want to be on the 53-man roster. Expect to see interesting things this game, such as the battle for the backup QB position between Cooper Rush and Mike White. So far, Rush is proving he’s a suitable backup for Prescott, completing 16 passing attempts for 142 yards. Pollard will most likely get more time to impress since Elliott will not be around. Other starters questionable for Saturday night include Amari Cooper (heel), Blake Jarwin (foot), and Zack Martin (back). Reports confirm Tyron Smith (back) will not play.
Los Angeles Rams
Preseason wasn’t good to the LA Rams either as they fell 14-3 against Oakland. They decided to use rookies and new additions instead of their usual starting lineup. QB Blake Bortles played in one series, completing 37.5 percent of his passes for 50 yards. Meanwhile, QB John Wolford made his first impression with a 75 percent pass completion for 54 yards. Their only score came when Raiders QB Mike Glennon threw his second interception of the game, setting up a 36-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein.
A majority of the Rams’ starters won’t play this game, and that brings up questions. For instance, can head coach Sean McVay rely on backups and rookies to play like they mean it in time for the regular season? Also, how soon will he allow the starters to play during preseason? Wolford and Bortles will take the field again, but they have to do more than pass completions to play backup for starting QB Jared Goff. The last game had some disappointing plays from both sides. Better play and traction is needed for the offense, and the defense must lay low on penalties.
Tune in to the NFL Network Saturday night at 10:00 PM EST for the Cowboys vs Rams and to see how everything goes down in the Aloha State.
