For Dallas Cowboys, Everything Starts with Run Defense vs. Rams

Stop the Run

If the Dallas Cowboys have any hope for revenge, they’ll need to right their run-stopping demons and play 60 minutes of gap-sound football. And it just so happens they’re gonna have to do so against a team who’s refinding their identity.

Although the Rams only surpassed the century mark rushing three times through their first 10 weeks, they have exceeded triple digits in three of their last four contests. In fact, in every game the Rams have won this year, they have rushed for at least 90 combined yards.

A resurgent Todd Gurley has recaptured his workhorse-status of late, accounting 380 total yards and 3 TDs since November 10th. For the Cowboys, the game-plan seems pretty straightforward : fill gaps, grind the run to a halt, and force the Rams out of their comfort zone. 

Furthermore, limiting LA’s ground attack dampers HC Sean McVay’s exceptional play-action crossing game. For all the flack Jared Goff has taken this year, he is showing lethality in his bootlegs of late. In making linebackers engage in false steps, Goff is schematically allowed to throw into simpler coverages.

Embedded below is a perfect example of this from last week – through prior run success and a heavy dose of PA, Goff is able to freeze a future HOFer in Bobby Wagner just enough, affording Tyler Higbee an extra step in his crossing route. As a result, he easily found for a solid gain.

These are the situations you want to avoid if you’re Dallas, and it all starts with the front seven. Gap discipline and sound tackling will be essential in keeping McVay from opening up the playbook. Although the unit looks cemented in a deep funk (and even went MIA in Chicago), the Rams present this unit a much needed opportunity to reemphasize their fundamentals.