A thrashing, a stomping, an absolute crushing. Those are the words you can use to describe how thoroughly the Dallas Cowboys dominated the Los Angeles Rams in Dallas on Sunday afternoon.
Dallas was in desperate need of a victory to keep their hopes alive for a playoff berth, and they delivered, thumping the Rams 44-21. Those 44 points were the most Dallas has scored since a late December matchup in 2014 against the Washington Redskins. Even after a confusing coin-toss to start off the game, the outcome never seemed to be in doubt.
The theme for these Cowboys has been "So Ezekiel Elliott goes, so we go". That theme rang true again, as Elliott scampered for 117 rushing yards and 43 receiving yards to lead a dominant offensive attack that gained huge contributions for Tony Pollard (131 rushing yards) to collect 475 total yards on offense. Dak Prescott also pitched in for two touchdowns.
The defense for Dallas came to play, forcing Todd Gurley to only 20 yards on the ground and halting any sort of momentum for Jared Goff and the rest of the Rams. Ultimately, the Rams garnered 289 yards of offense, with much of it coming towards the end of the matchup.
After the Rams tied the game in the second quarter, doubt seemed to loom over Jerryworld, but the Cowboys countered by scoring 30 straight and forcing pundits to reconsider how strong this Dallas team actually is.
All this builds up to a massive showdown next Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. With both teams tied at the top of the NFC East, the winner will be in the driver's seat to gain the coveted playoff spot and have the opportunity to host a playoff game at home.
The Ram's hopes of the playoffs have now fallen hopelessly low. After the gut-punching loss, the Rams will need a bit of luck to grab a flight to a game during Week 18. A trip to San Francisco next week looms ominously for the defending NFC Champions.