In a Week 8 matchup that has the potential to be “game of the week” in the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams travel to face the Dallas Cowboys. The Rams are coming off a disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Cowboys defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football earlier this week. We’ll make our Rams Week 8 predictions ahead of the big NFC game.
Because both offenses have the potential to be explosive, this could end up being offensive fireworks in the hopes that one of their defenses will make the game-winning stop. The Rams, who are currently 3-4 and third in the NFC West behind the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, are in desperate need of a win.
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It was a frustrating outing against the Steelers, as the team only scored 17 points and even made some roster changes, such as cutting kicker Brett Maher, who missed three kicks and seven on the season. A win would put them back on track, but standing in their way is a tough Cowboys team that is dangerous in a variety of ways.
Expect the Rams offense to rebound in a big way on Sunday, especially since the Cowboys defense has been mostly successful this season. Cooper Kupp was spectacular in his return game against the Arizona Cardinals, hauling in seven catches for 149 yards, but was held to just two catches for 29 yards against the Steelers.
The Rams quarterback must understand that if the passing game is to be effective against the Cowboys, he must target Kupp more frequently. This, however, does not imply that rookie sensation Puka Nachua’s numbers will fall.
He certainly carried the load last Sunday, but I predict that both receivers will go for over 100 yards as the Cowboys secondary struggles to cover Kupp and Nachua.
Stafford has been average this season, throwing seven touchdowns and six interceptions, but he is top five in passing yards with 1,908 yards. Fans know how good Stafford can be when he’s on, so expect the Dallas faithful to be deafeningly quiet as he picks apart the Cowboys’ vulnerable secondary.
Vintage Aaron Donald game for the Rams
He certainly carried the load last Sunday, but I predict that both receivers will go for over 100 yards as the Cowboys secondary struggles to cover Kupp and Nachua.
Stafford has been average this season, throwing seven touchdowns and six interceptions, but he is top five in passing yards with 1,908 yards. Fans know how good Stafford can be when he’s on, so expect the Dallas faithful to be deafeningly quiet as he picks apart the Cowboys’ vulnerable secondary.
For the Rams, it was a classic Aaron Donald game.
His presence, along with the rest of the defensive line, could put pressure on Prescott, who has been prone to making mistakes this season. For Prescott to second-guess himself in this game, the Rams secondary must hold off the usual first read in CeeDee Lamb. That, combined with limiting the explosiveness of running back Tony Pollard, can work wonders. It is, however, easier said than done.
The Rams upset the Cowboys on their home turf. Yes, it may appear to some that the Cowboys will take on the struggling Rams and build on their win over the Chargers. The pieces are in place for the Rams to upset the Cowboys and ruin many people’s bets this Sunday.
This could easily be remembered as a defensive standout showdown, but the Rams are the more hungry team. They’re desperate to replicate their Super Bowl victory in 2022, when they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.
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