the press on the Dallas game

The Rams Heard the Comments, the Trash Talk, the Insults Ahead of Cowboys Matchup

ROBERT KLEMKO

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/13/rams-offensive-line-colts-nfl-playoffs-divisional-round

When a team sits on the shelf for two weeks with a first-round playoff bye, as the Rams did this month, the players might start searching for a pick-me-up. Typically innocuous comments made by the opposing team become bulletin board material, so Los Angeles was watching, and waiting. Then the Twitter alerts popped up on the smartphones of Rams offensive linemen as they were leaving meetings and heading to walkthroughs on Friday morning.

“He is a quarterback. I don’t like quarterbacks,” Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence told reporters in Texas that day. “I go in every week wanting to take a quarterback’s soul.”

Rams fans went about the very necessary work of tagging the social media accounts of the Los Angeles offensive linemen to alert them of Lawrence’s comment, and they noticed. “We’re like, ‘They’re talking about snatching souls? OK!” left guard Rodger Saffold said.

Two days later—after Los Angeles’s 30–22 victory over Dallas, sending them to the NFC Championship Game next week—Rams cornerback Aqib Talib interrupted teammate Jared Goff’s postgame network TV interview to respond to Lawrence with an uncensored bomb: “He ain’t taking no f****** soul!”

Earlier in the week Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper told reporters he was familiar with both Peters and Talib, having played for the Raiders in the AFC West, the former divisional home of the two mercurial cornerbacks. “I’ve played against those guys twice a year, both of them. I know them in and out. … I know how they play, and I’m able to tell my teammates [and] the quarterback their tendencies.”

During the game, Rams cornerback Marcus Peters scrapped and jawed on multiple occasions with the Cowboys’ wide receiver, who hauled in six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Before he even reached the locker room, Peters couldn’t contain himself. “These scary-ass n***** was talkin’ sh**!” he screamed in the direction of Cowboys players as he sauntered through a Coliseum tunnel. “What now?”

Fairly harmless? Peters didn’t think so. “That was for Amari Cooper,” Peters said in the postgame locker room. “He got strapped today. He said he knew us. Looks like he don’t know us too well cuz y’all just lost.”

To say the media interviews coming out of Dallas motivated these No. 2-seeded Rams would be an understatement. The winning locker room was abuzz with recollections of perceived insults from the other sideline and the media. “When I see Stephen A. Smith I’m gonna smack him upside his head!” exclaimed one defensive player.

The Los Angeles offensive line was feeling particularly triumphant, what with a week-long media focus on Dallas’ dominant defensive front, which ranked fifth in yards allowed and yards per carry in 2018. The Rams logged 273 yards rushing Saturday night with three touchdowns (5.7 yards per carry). C.J. Anderson, on his fourth team since April, was interchangeable with Todd Gurley, sledgehammering his way to a team-high 123 yards and two scores.

“The big boys did it,” Anderson said. “All week they was hearing about how the Cowboys defensive line was all this and how they stopped Seattle’s run game.”

The offensive linemen took the Lawrence comment to heart. Ditto for a press conference in which Cowboys coach Jason Garrett rattled off the merits of the Los Angeles offense and did not mention the o-line. Said Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth: “He didn’t mention the offensive line, just talked about the skill guys. Last time I checked, we’re the only offensive line in the league in the top-five in passing and rushing, so we’ve got to be pretty daggum good. If we’ve gotta go earn the respect we will.”

As for Lawrence’s soul-snatching comment? “We heard it,” Whitworth said. “He didn’t get crap all night and they got buried. I think we’ve said all we need to say.”

What now? What if the winner of Saints-Eagles on Sunday keeps their mouths shut? Where will these Rams possibly find motivation? Whitworth thinks Rams coach Sean McVay may have already provided it. Up 23–15 with 7:20 left to play, the Rams faced fourth-and-goal from a yard out. Conventional wisdom said kick the field goal to go up two scores, right? McVay elected to send Anderson off the left guard. Whitworth impolitely moved Lawrence out of the way, Saffold knocked Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith off course and Anderson plunged in for the score. Game, blouses.

“Coach felt a lot of confidence in us all year in those situations and he felt it there and we went for it,” Whitworth said. “I think he might have felt we needed the touchdown, and really just the message it sent to us. Sometimes thats the biggest confidence booster you can get.”

Said Peters: “That’s where we’re going to win the game in the postseason, with that offensive line, in the trenches.”

VID: Rod Woodson EXPLAINS why Cowboys FALL TO Rams 30-22; Dak: 20-32, 266 YDS | NFL Total Access

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEOnGhUkO9g

PFF: Refocused, NFL Divisional Round: Los Angeles Rams 30, Dallas Cowboys 22

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-nfl-divisional-round-los-angeles-rams-30-dallas-cowboys-22

FINAL SCORE
Los Angeles Rams 30, Dallas Cowboys 22

RAMS

The men up front absolutely dominated this game. The Rams’ offensive line kept Jared Goff clean all night, as the QB was rarely pressured throughout. In the run game, they parted lanes wider than Moses parting the Red Sea, as Todd Gurley and generational talent CJ Anderson ran up and down the field.

It wasn’t a perfect game by Goff, as he missed on a number of open throws downfield and was fortunate not to be intercepted at the end of the first half, but he made enough throws to keep the game out of reach. Goff will need to be much better next week in order to advance to the Super Bowl, as the Eagles and Saints both will apply pressure at much higher rates than Dallas.

The Rams struggled to rush the quarterback, getting just one hit and one sack in the game, with the sack being a poor call on whether the QB was wrapped up or not. Ndamukong Suh had the most impact, with the one hit and a few other hurries.

Los Angeles bottled up the run very well, holding Zeke Elliott to just 47 yards and 2.3 yards per carry. They allowed just one run longer than six yards all game, and were sure tacklers pretty well throughout.

DALLAS

The linebacker duo of Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch were going to be vital in order to stop the rushing attack, and they struggled all night long. Smith and Vander Esch were often blocked at the second level and couldn’t make up for their struggles in the run game by covering well, as neither made an impact in the passing game.

There weren’t any positives to takeaway from the Cowboys’ defense, as they were thoroughly outplayed in all facets of the game. The unit had been a strength all season for Dallas but failed to make key stops to get off the field.

The Dallas offensive line did an excellent job in pass protection to keep Dak Prescott clean and rarely pressured. It’s even more of a feat with Aaron Donald on the other side of the ball. While he did make a couple splash plays, they kept him from being anywhere near as dominant has he has been most of the season.

Overall, Prescott just didn’t play well enough for the Cowboys to win. His misread on a short hitch in the left flat was one of the worst throws in the league this season. However, instead of the possibility of a pick-six to extend a Rams’ lead, Prescott lucked out that Samson Ebukam dropped the easy interception. He played better late in the game, particularly when he was given a chance to use his legs more, but still had some inaccurate passes that were impactful.

Keys to the Game

Los Angeles

Andrew Whitworth and company controlled this game from beginning to end, and Dallas had no answer for their dominance.

Dallas

Dallas’ defense couldn’t keep the Rams off the scoreboard enough to allow their lackluster offense to get ahead and win the game.