The Dallas Cowboys opened their 2024 preseason schedule with a narrow 13-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams as both sides sat most of their presumed starters and let the second-stringers and those further down the depth chart grab the spotlight.
Typical of most exhibition tilts, the affair wasn't exactly exciting as it was a field-goal fest through the first 59 minutes. That all changed in the end.
Facing fourth-and-goal at the Cowboys' 6-yard line with just 11 seconds left, Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett scrambled to his left to avoid the rush before throwing an unlikely sidearm pass to tight end Miller Forristall in the end zone to give Los Angeles an unexpected victory.
Similar to the scoreboard, the two sides were more less even on the stat sheet with the Cowboys totaling 309 yards of offense, 19 first downs and 216 yards passing while the Rams' posted marks of 316, 21 and 215, respectively. Dallas had the better third-down percentage, 38% to 29%, but on fourth down, the Cowboys converted on 2-of-5 tries with Los Angeles successful on all four of its attempts.
As planned, Cooper Rush got the start behind center and continued to show why he can be a solid backup behind Dak Prescott. Rush completed 2-of-3 passes for 44 yards with a passer rating of 109.7 in just one series of work.
All eyes then turned to Trey Lance, who handled the quarterbacking duties the rest of the way. He completed 25 of his 41 pass attempts for 188 yards and a 72 passer rating.
On the other side of the ball, Dallas recorded four interceptions and held Bennett to a 48.5 passer rating. Unfortunately, Bennett's last pass proved to be the dagger.
After being moved to linebacker for much of last season, Markquese Bell appears happy to be back at safety. In two quarters of play, he had one interception, nearly picked off another and totaled a game-high nine tackles.
One player who has most certainly picked up right where he left off from a year ago is Brandon Aubrey. The kicker was good on four of his five field goal attempts with his lone miss coming from 65 yards.
Some intrigue came at the left tackle spot where Chuma Edoga started, but left after one series with a foot injury. First-round pick Tyler Guyton was expected to play for most of the first half, but wound up seeing only a few solid snaps, the Cowboys perhaps deciding to protect the youngster.
First Quarter:
A 31-yard gain on Los Angeles' opening possession of the game quickly gave the Rams a first-and-10 at the Dallas 11. That's where Bell nearly had an interception in the end zone to end the threat, but the Cowboys still held strong, the home side having to settle for a 28-yard field goal.
But the visitors immediately responded. Rush's first pass of the game was a 43-yard completion to Jalen Brooks, setting the Dallas offense up at the Rams' 15. The Cowboys weren't able to move the chains again, but Aubrey eventually evened things up with a 30-yard field goal.
Given a second chance, Bell took care of business this time around. Bennett overthrew his intended target, providing the Cowboys safety an easy pick and giving Dallas the ball at the Los Angeles 44-yard line.
With Lance taking over, Dallas went on to reach the 3-yard line where head coach Mike McCarthy decided to go for it on fourth-and-1. But Lance's attempted fade pass to Jalen Cropper on the left side of the end zone went too far, the Cowboys' coming up empty.
Second Quarter:
Although the Rams took possession at their own 3, they managed to march down the field to again get into Dallas territory, driving 76 yards in 14 plays. That ended with Los Angeles regaining a slim advantage on a 39-yard field goal.
Lance and the Cowboys, though, returned the favor once more. They were moving the ball well with the young quarterback completing passes of 16, 11 and 12 yards to reach the Rams' 18-yard line. But a pair of dropped passes doomed the drive, Aubrey coming out to even the score with a 36-yard field goal.
A rough first half for Eric Scott ended on a high note when the second-year cornerback ruined a Los Angeles drive with his first interception of the preseason. He grabbed the pick at the Dallas 10-yard line with just 34 seconds left and returned it 26 yards to the 36, the Cowboys going into the break tied 6-6.
Third Quarter:
With those fighting for rosters spots largely now on the field, the scoring chances became even more difficult. Punter Bryan Anger was essentially given the day off, so the Cowboys gave Aubrey a chance to test his leg with the 65-yard field goal attempt at the 1:16 mark in the quarter. But while he definitely had the distance, his lengthy boot sailed just wide right.
However, Dallas got the ball right when on the Rams' very next snap, undrafted free agent safety Julius Wood picked off a Bennett pass, giving the Cowboys possession at their own 35-yard line heading into the final frame.
Fourth Quarter:
Perhaps the question now was could anyone cross the goal line. The Cowboys didn't. The Rams did.
Wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, a signee out of the UFL, did the heavy lifting on the next possession with a pair of nice leaping catches for 12 and 26 yards. That led to Aubrey kicking a 38-yard field to put the Cowboys in front for the first time on the day.
That basically left it to the defense, which provided yet another interception. This time rookie linebacker Brock Mogensen stepped in front of a Bennett pass and returned the prize 23 yards to the Los Angeles 23. But the offense again failed to reach the end zone, and so naturally turned to Aubrey. This time he was good from 52 yards.
Just when you thought it was over, though, the Dallas defense failed to hold the lead. And the Cowboys were their own worst enemy. A defensive holding penalty negated a would-be interception with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty following a 9-yard gain giving the Rams a first down at the Dallas 30-yard line with 1:15 remaining in the game.
That left it Bennett's final heroics to hand the Cowboys a 13-12 loss.
