Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys Live In-Game Updates, Highlights: Rams Lose 43-20

The Los Angeles Rams will look to get a bounce-back win against one of the most talented teams in the conference. Will they beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8?

The Los Angeles Rams (3-4) are badly in need of a win to stay relevant in the NFC playoff picture. A Dallas Cowboys (4-2) team fresh off a bye isn’t going to make it easy on them.

Los Angeles will travel to Dallas in a game that is certainly winnable, but a few things must go right against a frankly more talented Cowboys roster.

The Rams won’t have kicker Brett Maher, the former Cowboys who was cut following a poor outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His missed/block kicks lost Los Angeles seven points, and the Steelers won by that amount. Instead, kicker Lucas Havrisik will take his place.

Stafford after getting knocked to the ground against the Cowboys / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Smooth special teams operations will be critical in winning this one along the margins.

Further, despite Dallas’ strengths defensively, there may be avenues for the Rams to find success. The Cowboys rank fifth in run defense, by expected points allowed, but their success rate against the run (45.4%) ranks 29th.

Head coach Sean McVay’s ground game is highly touted, to a point where it doesn’t really matter who is taking the lion’s share of the touches. But there’s a good chance they win this one on the ground by consistently gaining a handful of yards, even if the explosives aren’t as likely.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford and receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua should provide enough explosive plays on their own. Expect Nacua to see a fair share of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the lesser of Dallas’ two boundary corners. Kupp, as usual, should be expected to dominate.

The Cowboys’ pass rush, led by edge rusher Micah Parsons, could be the antidote to those explosives. Stafford is no stranger to getting sacked, but few units get to the quarterback more frequently than Dallas does.

“As excited as I was yesterday,” McVay said after the birth of his first child, Jordan John McVay. “Once you really dive into the tape you’re thinking, ‘Wow, maybe I should have stayed at the hospital!’:

Missing right tackle Rob Havenstein won’t make things any easier. If the run game is enough to keep the offense afloat, this one could very well come down to how many explosive plays the passing offense can accomplish.

WHAT: Los Angeles Rams (3-4) vs. Dallas Cowboys (4-2)

WHERE: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX (80,000)

WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, 10 a.m. (PT)

TELEVISION: FOX

RADIO: ESPNLA 710 AM, Tu Liga Radio 1330 AM

ODDS: Rams +6.5 (-118), Moneyline +225, Total: 44.5 (o -118/u -110)

Live updates will appear after kickoff.

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FIRST QUARTER

Cowboys First Drive: Dallas received the opening kickoff.

Quarterback Dak Prescott took a sack on the game's first play, followed by a short rush from running back Tony Pollard. On third down, he was sacked again, but an illegal contact moved the chains for them. Defensive lineman Aaron Donald sacked Prescott on the ensuing play. This one might get ugly.

On a third-and-6, Prescott hit receiver Brandin Cooks to move the chains. On the next play, he threw an immaculate pass over the middle of the field to tight end Jake Ferguson for a touchdown.

The Rams trail 7-0 with 9:44 remaining in the first quarter.

Rams First Drive: Running back Darrell Henderson got things started with a five-yard rush, and found himself moving the chains on the next play -- a screen pass.

On third down in the red zone, cornerback DaRon Bland made an exceptional tackle on Kupp to save a first down.

Havrisik's field goal was good.

The Rams trail 7-3 with 5:22 remaining in the first quarter.

Cowboys Second Drive: The first play of the drive was a chunk gain to receiver CeeDee Lamb, who hauled in a 17-yard pass.

A couple of Prescott rushes put Dallas in Los Angeles territory. Donald racked up another sack. Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey nailed a 58-yard field goal to extend the lead.

The Rams trail 10-3 with 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Rams Second Drive: Stafford immediately threw a pick-six to Bland, targeting Kupp.

The Rams trail 17-3 with 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Rams Third Drive: Stafford hit tight end Tyler Higbee for a loss on first down.

The Rams trail 17-3 at the end of the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

After a rush set Los Angeles up in a third-and-short situation, Parsons got himself in the box score with his first sack of the day.

The Cowboys blocked Los Angeles' punt for a safety.

The Rams trail 19-3 with 13:39 remaining in the second quarter.

Cowboys Third Drive: After returning the safety punt to the Rams' 13-yard line, Lamb made a catch in the middle of the end zone for a score.

The Rams trail 26-3 with 12:45 remaining in the second quarter.

Rams Fourth Drive: After a trip to the medical tent, Stafford hit Kupp for a short gain on second down. His third-down pass to receiver Tutu Atwell fell incomplete, leading to a punt.

Cowboys Fourth Drive: Pollard got himself some work on this drive, interrupted by a 21-yard Lamb catch. 

On third down from the Rams' 41-yard line, receiver KaVontae Turpin moved the chains with a 13-yard catch. 

A few plays later, safety Jordan Fuller intercepted Prescott to save the drive.

Rams Fifth Drive: Nacua got drilled on an incomplete pass to begin the drive.

After a Henderson rush, Stafford was hit by Parsons and after initially being called a fumble, it was ruled incomplete. Los Angeles was forced to punt. 

Cowboys Fifth Drive: Lamb made another big impact for the Dallas offense, breaking a tackle en route to a 26-yard gain.

The Rams forced Prescott out of structure on third-and-8, but he scrambled and found Lamb for a 22-yard touchdown.

The Rams trail 33-3 with 2:27 remaining in the second quarter.

Rams Sixth Drive: Stafford was nearly intercepted again.

A defensive offsides penalty would grant Los Angeles a fresh set of downs. On third-and-8, Stafford threw a heater to Atwell for a long completion. Running back Royce Freeman got some work on this drive, taking two rushes after the two-minute warning. 

Nacua hauled in an eight-yard pass to get to the Dallas six-yard line. He saw an end zone target, too, but couldn't haul it in. 

After Henderson got them close, Freeman closed out the drive, and the half, with a touchdown. A two-point conversion looked as ugly as the first half. Stafford may have suffered a hand injury.

Mercifully, this one has arrived at halftime. 

The Rams trail 33-9 with four seconds remaining in the half.

HALFTIME

THIRD QUARTER

Rams Seventh Drive: Henderson got the second half started with a seven-yard rush and a 32-yard reception to get them into Dallas territory.

Receiver Ben Skowronek got the Rams into the end zone with a 20-yard catch. McVay pulled a rabbit out of his hat with a Philly-Special-esque two-point conversion.

The Rams trail 33-17 with 11:29 remaining in the third quarter.

Cowboys Sixth Drive: Prescott extended the drive with a third-down scramble. Lamb made a third-down grab that made the fourth-down decision a tough one.

After a timeout, they decided to go for it and converted on a completion to Cooks. Pollard then ripped off a 13-yard rush. Ultimately, they would settle for a field goal.

The Rams trail 36-17 with 1:32 remaining in the third quarter.

Rams Eighth Drive: Backup quarterback Brett Rypien has entered the game.

Unsurprisingly, they started the drive with a few rushes. A third-down incompletion would precede a fourth-down conversion.

The Rams trail 36-17 at the end of the third quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

After a couple more Henderson touches, Rypien was off-target, turning the ball over on downs.

Cowboys Seventh Drive: Prescott hit Lamb for a 24-yard catch to start the drive. 

Just two plays later, Prescott nailed Cooks with a 25-yard dot for a score.

The Rams trail 43-17 with 12:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Rams Ninth Drive: Los Angeles endured another three-and-out, but the punt return was called back, instead of resulting in a touchdown. 

Cowboys Eighth Drive: Dallas has put in most of its backups, most notably quarterback Cooper Rush. Running back Rico Dowdle took the first carry of the drive -- for one yard.

The drive immediately stalled out.

Rams Tenth Drive: Rypien remains in the game for Los Angeles. Freeman started the drive with a rush and Atwell made an eight-yard grab.

Tight end Tyler Higbee followed that up with a five-yard catch. A few Kupp targets would fail to generate much yardage, setting up a field goal attempt.

It was good, though it won't help Los Angeles very much.

The Rams trail 43-20 with 5:31 remaining.

Cowboys Ninth Drive: Unsurprisingly, Dallas was content to just run a little time off the clock and punt it away.

Rams Eleventh Drive: Henderson started the drive with a four-yard rush.

Rypien followed that with a short pass to Atwell, but he was sacked on the next play by edge rusher Dorance Armstrong. 

Cowboys Tenth Drive: Dallas kneeled the clock out to end the game.

The Rams lose, 43-20, to fall to 3-5.