ARLINGTON, Texas – The Los Angeles Rams (8-6) saw their two-game winning streak snapped with a 44-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys (7-7) Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
Running back Todd Gurley finished with 11 carries for 20 yards and one touchdown, plus three catches for 18 yards and one touchdown. Tyler Higbee's 12 receptions for 111 yards made him the first tight end in Rams history with three 100-yard games in the same season. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp's six catches for 41 yards pushed him over 1,000 receiving yards on the season, the first time in his career that he has achieved the feat. Kupp also added a touchdown to his stat line.
The Cowboys struck first late in the first quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dak Prescott to tight end Jason Witten, who hauled the pass in with one hand and was still able to maintain his balance on his way into the endzone for the score and an early 7-0 lead. Rams cornerback Darious Williams had an interception at the Cowboys 46 yard line that was wiped out by offsetting penalties on the drive.
A 28-yard catch and run on a screen by wide receiver Josh Reynolds at the end of the first quarter gave the Rams' offense some momentum at the beginning of the second. Quarterback Jared Goff found Higbee for a 26-yard gain, then ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Gurley for a 7-7 tie with 12:58 left in the first half.
Dallas answered on the ensuing drive with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to wide receiver Tavon Austin to take a 14-7 lead with 11:37 left in the second quarter. Prescott escaped the grasp of Rams linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. and found a wide-open Austin on the left side of the field after safety Taylor Rapp and cornerback Darious Williams collided in the Rams' secondary.
Although the Rams went 3-and-out on the ensuing series, punter Johnny Hekker's 67-yard punt pinned the Cowboys at their own 3-yard line. The shallow field position did little to affect the Cowboys, though, mounting an 8-play, 97-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Ezekiel Elliott. The series took nearly eight minutes off the clock and gave Dallas a 21-7 lead with 1:57 left in the first half.
A Sean Lee interception return to the Rams 9-yard line helped set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Elliott to give the Cowboys a 28-7 halftime lead.
Forbath's 50-yard field goal try on the opening possession pushed Dallas' lead to 31-7 early in the third quarter. Facing a 4th and 4 from their own 34, Los Angeles elected to fake the punt, with Hekker completing the pass to Mike Thomas for the conversion.
Officials initially ruled Thomas fumbled, but L.A. was able to successfully challenge and overturn the original call, giving it 1st and 10 from its own 39. However, the drive still required a second attempt at a fourth down conversion, one which was unsuccessful after Goff's pass intended for wide receiver Brandin Cooks fell incomplete. Dallas took over on towns from its own 36 and ended its ensuing drive with a successful 42-yard field goal to push their lead to 27 early in the fourth quarter. Forbath added another successful 42-yard field goal try with 6:40 left to give the Cowboys a 37-7 lead.
The Rams cut their deficit to 24 with a seven-yard touchdown run by Gurley. The ensuing two-point attempt was unsuccessful after an incomplete pass from Goff to Gurley, but an offsides penalty against the Cowboys allowed the try to be replayed. The second attempt succeeded on a Gurley one-yard run, making it 37-15 Dallas with 3:17 left.
Los Angeles' ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful, ruled a kickoff out of bounds after a player recovered it out bounds. L.A. challenged the initial ruling, and it was upheld by the officials upon further review.
A 44-yard touchdown run by backup running back Tony Pollard on the following possession gave Dallas a 44-15 lead with 3:09 left.
Goff fired a 7-yard touchdown pass to Goff to cut the Rams' deficit again, but the ensuing two-point attempt was unsuccessful. The Cowboys took a knee up 44-21 to run out the remainder of the clock and seal the victory.
