Yes, the Rams celebrated a return to the LA Coliseum with a win and almost 90,000 football fans experienced the event live.
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The Los Angeles Rams hosting the Dallas Cowboys stood out for two reasons among Saturday’s preseason games: The return to Los Angeles, and Jared Goff’s debut, which didn’t go so well.
Goff finished 4-of-9 for 38 yards and the interception. Sure, pressure is expected on a screen play, but any rookie would be expected to throw it away in that situation and Prescott looked like a 10-year veteran.
“You never want that to happen”, he said after the game, “but I was upset that we didn’t get the ball first”. The league does not announce the actual attendance figure. They will need to lock down on their coverages in the coming weeks because the Cowboys will most likely plan to blitz more in 2016 to help with the pass rush.
“To come here and see the fans’ support not only from our fans, but the Cowboys’ fans it made for great competition”.
Unfortunately for the home team, the first play of the new Rams era was a 101-yard kick-off return by Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Lucky Whitehead. Prescott completed 10 out of his 12 passes, threw for 139 yards, and threw two touchdown passes per nfl.com. While the Rams said Goff would play about two quarters in this game, things obviously didn’t go as planned, and the coaches turned to Sean Mannion at the start of the second half. Fisher expected to play Goff throughout the third quarter as well. In the second quarter. his 32=yard pass to Terrance Williams capped a six-play, 75-yard series for a 21-7 lead.
“I had to remind them (in the locker room) that it was a preseason game”, said coach Jeff Fisher. Worse, he took a vicious hit and suffered a shoulder injury that kept him on the bench in the second half.
The Rams’ first TD, a 14-yard run by Benny Cunningham, brought a big response – as if it finally made the move official. David Irving and Ryan Russell started at the two end spots for Dallas as the team tries to try to find replacement for DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory who will be suspended to begin the season. In the receiving end Kenny Britt had 681 yards and three touchdowns in 36 receptions while Jared Cook added 481 yards in 39 receptions.
Dez Bryant caught both of his targets for 28 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s preseason loss to the Rams. Cardale Jones and EJ Manuel threw a touchdown pass each. He beat that total with just one reception for 12 yards, converting a third and 11 situation after a Cowboys penalty.
Showers completed eight of 16 passes for 99 yards in the second half.
Quarterback Tony Romo, rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, tight end Jason Witten and left tackle Tyron Smith were held out of the game.
Cowboys: “I think the best thing about Dak is that he is extremely calm”, Bryant said of Prescott. “We’ve got our work cut out”.
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The Cowboys young pass rushers will have a lot to prove this preseason, as they look to silence the critics and build some momentum going into the regular season. “Our defense against the run, we’ve got to get that fixed”. Instead, the former Rams quarterback signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
