Fresh off of their first 3-0 start since 1999, the Cowboys are eyeing their first 4-0 start since 1995 when they take on the Rams on Sunday.
While the Cowboys are riding high, it’s the complete opposite for the injury-riddled, offensively-inept Rams, who come into the game looking for their first win of the season.
Last Sunday, the Cowboys made a statement by going into Soldier Field and routing the Bears 34-10. Dallas had their first game with a 300-yard passer (Tony Romo - 329 yards), 100-yard rusher (Marion Barber III - 102 yards), and 100-yard receiver (T.O. - 145 yards) since 1999, and only the third in team history. And, Anthony Henry picked off two passes for the second straight game, and returned one for a game-sealing score, earning himself the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.
On the other side, the Rams were close with the Bucs for three quarters, but turnovers and missed field goals bit them in the end as they fell to Tampa Bay 24-3.
The Rams have seen several starters hit the injury list, and enter Sunday looking for a huge lift. But, the Cowboys will look to keep rolling and remain unbeaten.
Last Time They Played…
The last meeting between the Cowboys and Rams was a pretty forgettable one.
In the last week of the 2005 season, St. Louis came to Dallas and walked out of Texas Stadium with a 20-10 victory over an uninspired Cowboys team that had just had their slim playoff hopes dashed earlier in the afternoon.
The Cowboys had a 7-0 first-quarter lead after Drew Bledsoe hooked up with Jason Witten for a 19-yard touchdown.
The Rams took a 10-7 lead after a Jeff Wilkins field goal and a touchdown by former Cowboys back Aveion Cason put the Rams ahead late in the first half, but the Cowboys tied at 10 three seconds before the half on a Shaun Suisham field goal.
The third quarter was scoreless, but the Rams put the game away in the fourth with an Arlen Harris touchdown run and a field goal by Wilkins that iced the game with a little over a minute left.
Bledsoe was 18 of 39 for 242 yards, was picked off twice, and lost a fumble. The Cowboys were held to only 57 yards rushing and 15 total first downs.
LOOKING AT THE RAMS
Offense
The Greatest Show on Turf is anything but these days. It’s been a slow start, to say the least, for the Rams offense, as they have scored only two touchdowns and 32 total points in three losses.
Marc Bulger, who signed a big-money extension before the season, hasn’t earned his money yet (57.8 comp. %, 2 TD, 3 INT), including last week’s game, in which he was picked off three times.
In that game against Tampa Bay, Bulger’s effectiveness was limited by bruised ribs, which caused Rams’ coach Scott Linehan to go conservative when St. Louis was losing.
If he’s not up to strength this week, that puts even more strain on an offense that doesn’t have much going for them right now. Star RB Steven Jackson is going to miss the next few weeks with a groin injury, and the Rams’ offensive line lost yet another starter against the Bucs, taking the total to three.
In Jackson’s place, rookie Brian Leonard, a second-round pick from Rutgers, will start at tailback. You can’t really call Leonard anything, outside of a coach’s dream. He’s got a fullback’s blocking skills, a running back’s speed (sub 4.5 40) and moves (2,775 rushing yards, 32 TD at Rutgers), and the ability to catch the ball (207 catches, 1,864 yards, 13 TD).
So that the pressure isn’t completely on Leonard, there are a couple of stud receivers for Bulger to throw to, in million-time Pro Bowlers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.
Defense
The Rams defense was a big liability for several years, but has improved under their defensive coordinator, former Saints coach Jim Haslett. But, there are still several holes that the Cowboys could exploit.
The Rams’ rush defense has gotten torched by the Panthers (186 yards) and Bucs (182 yards).
The pass defense, while it hasn’t given up more than 201 yards in the first three games, has let the first three opponents complete passes at will (61.4 comp. %).
Special Teams
Wilkins has been the Rams’ placekicker in all but five of St. Louis’ games since the beginning of the 1997 season (he missed five games in 2000). In his Rams’ career, he has made 79.6% of his field goals (243 of 297) and 403 of 404 extra points.
This season, he’s six of nine on field goals, but he’s coming off one of the worst days in his career, when he missed two field goals that would have kept the Rams in what was a close game until the fourth quarter.
Former Seahawks and Dolphins punter Donnie Jones is in his first year punting for the Rams, and he’s been one of the bright spots, averaging 45.8 yards per kick, with four kicks going inside the 20.
The Rams have one of the league’s best return men handling return duties in Dante Hall, who is in his first year in St. Louis after spending his first six NFL seasons in Kansas City. Hall returned 11 kicks for touchdowns in his Chiefs career (five punt, six kickoff), which is third in NFL history behind Brian Mitchell and Eric Metcalf. Hall is averaging 22.5 yards on 11 kickoff returns this season, and does have an 84-yard non-touchdown return, and he is averaging 3.8 yards per punt return.
The Rams’ coverage team has done a decent job on kickoff returns, giving up an average of 22.3 yards per return (12th in the NFL) and ranks 24th in the league when it comes to punt returns (11.3 yards per return).