The Dallas Cowboys opened their 2024 preseason schedule with a close 13-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams as both teams sat most of their presumptive starters and let the backups and those lower on the depth chart take over.
As is typical of most exhibition games, the game wasn’t exactly exciting, as it was a field goal fest for the first 59 minutes. That all changed at the end.
Facing final down and goal at the Cowboys 6-yard line with just 11 seconds remaining, Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett scrambled to his left to avoid pressure before throwing a lateral pass to tight end Miller Forristall in the end zone to give the Rams an upset victory.
As with the scoreboard, the two teams were roughly evenly matched in the statistics: the Cowboys totaled 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 2 of 5 attempts and the Rams were successful on all four of their attempts.
As expected, Cooper Rush was the starter 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 109.7 passer rating in just one series of work.
All eyes then turned to Trey Lance, who handled quarterback duties the rest of the way. He completed 25 of his 41 pass attempts for 188 yards and a passer rating of 72.
On the other side of the field, Dallas recorded four interceptions and limited Bennett to a 48.5 passer rating. Unfortunately, Bennett’s final pass proved to be the dagger.
After being moved to linebacker for much of last season, Markquese Bell seems happy to be back at safety. Through two quarters of play, he had one interception, nearly intercepted another and totaled a game-high nine tackles.
One player who has certainly picked up where he left off a year ago is Brandon Aubrey. The kicker was successful on four of his five field goal attempts and the only one he missed was from the 65-yard line.
There was some intrigue at left tackle, where Chuma Edoga started but left after one series with a foot injury.
The Cowboys will play their second preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, August 17.
