Los Angeles Rams: Keys to advance past the Dallas Cowboys

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams is happy after a touchdown against San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Rams won 48-32. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams is happy after a touchdown against San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Rams won 48-32. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Rams
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Rams /

2. Make Dak Prescott beat you

I think it is safe to say that Dak Prescott is the worst quarterback of the eight remaining quarterbacks in the NFL Playoffs. Some would say that is Nick Foles, however, Foles is continuing to prove that he has some sort of magic when the calendar turns to January and February.

That does not mean that Prescott is a bad quarterback per say, he is just a mediocre quarterback in a remaining class mostly full of elite quarterbacks. He can certainly do enough to manage the game and win but he is not someone to put the team on his back and carry to the Super Bowl.

Instead, the Cowboys rely heavily on Ezekiel Elliott to get the offense going to put Prescott in a position to succeed and the defense to hold the opposition to a manageable score.

In order to keep the Cowboys from eating time of possession and to wear out the defense, the Los Angeles Rams have to put the Cowboys in a situation in which Dak Prescott has to beat the Rams.

Prescott did play well against Seattle and had a huge third-down scramble that eventually led to the Cowboys’ victory; that does not mean that he is going to do that all night against the Rams.

The Rams need to stack the box and commit to the run early, forcing the Cowboys to turn to the passing game. While the Rams’ secondary has been pretty bad at times this year, the team should have comfort knowing that the pass-rush is unlike anything the Cowboys have seen all season.

Getting pressure on Dak is going to turn him from a mediocre quarterback to a bad quarterback. That is when he starts making the mental errors of throwing interceptions or fumbling the football.

Don’t let Ezekiel Elliott beat you. Force Dak Prescott to make some big plays.