After the first weekend of playoff football, the Rams now have an opponent for Jan. 12 in the Cowboys.
Dallas defeated Seattle in the Wild Card round on Saturday evening, 24-22. Led by running back Ezekiel Elliott's 137 yards rushing, Dallas used a punishing ground attack to salt the clock away in what had been a back-and-forth contest throughout much of the first three quarters. Though Seattle scored a touchdown with just over a minute on the clock, punter Michael Dickson's onside drop-kick attempt went far too long to be fielded by the visitors, ending any chance of a comeback.
Dallas is the only team in the NFC's playoff field Los Angeles did not face in 2018, but the two teams did square off last year in Texas. All the way back in Week 4 of 2017, the Rams beat the Cowboys 35-30, allowing just six points in the second half to turn a 24-13 deficit into a victory. Kicker Greg Zuerlein hit a career high seven field goals in the contest, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.
Defensive lineman Michael Brockers had a sack, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and two passes defensed in that 2017 matchup. However…
"That was last year, though. It's a whole new team," Brockers said. "We'll see. It's not a team we've faced before. And they look good — they looked awesome from last night. So, we'll see."
Outside linebacker Dante Fowler actually played the Cowboys earlier this season when he was still a member of the Jaguars. Having done that, Fowler said what stands out is Dallas' physicality.
"They run the ball a lot — have a very good running back, very good offensive lineman. Amari Cooper, with him as an addition, I know how good of a player he is," Fowler said. "They've got a good defense. So it'll be a pretty good matchup. I know we're looking forward to it."
The players will be off on Monday before getting to work for the practice week on Tuesday. The Divisional round game will be played at the Coliseum on Jan. 12 at 5:15 p.m. PT.
