The Cowboys will Beat the Rams in Divisional Round

I can feel it now, it's coming like a ton of bricks, the famous, "NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!"  Despite what's coming and what people might think about this pick, I'm going to make it anyway; the Cowboys will defy the odds and win at LA this Saturday night in the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs.  Many people are thinking to themselves at this exact moment, how on earth can you pick Dallas to win this game against the all mighty Rams despite a dismal record in the divisional round of the playoffs?

It's simple, the Cowboys knocked off the Seahawks in a game that many saw a red-hot Seattle team winning, and did so in an impressive manner.  Let's also not forget that the once invincible Rams have been mere mortals in recent weeks going 2-2 in their final four games.  Now I understand that the Cowboys' 24-22 win over Seattle was only their third playoff victory since 1996 and that their previous postseason runs all ended in the pesky divisional round in 1996, 2007, 2009, 2014 and 2016, but there is something different about this particular team.

Maybe its the fact that Dak Prescott played a virtually flawless game against a really good Seattle squad, or that Zeke Elliot had 30 touches for 169 total yards, the first Cowboys' back to receive that many carries in a playoff game since the great Emmitt Smith in the 1995 NFC Championship game, or Amari Cooper's 106 receiving yards.  What Zeke and Cooper did were magnificent feats as it was only the fourth time in the last 25 postseasons that the Cowboys had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in a game.

It would also be worth mentioning that the Cowboys' defense continues to play lights out and will give any team a run for their money.  Don't get me wrong, the Rams are a damn good team, extremely well coached, and at home which makes this challenge an even greater obstacle to overcome.  They have one of the top running backs in the league in Todd Gurley, but then again Dallas is superior at stopping the run, as they have one of the top rushing defenses in the league.  The Rams defensive front four are as good as it gets though led by All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and will certainly put a lot of pressure on Dak.

The X-factor in this game will be Ezekiel Elliot though, as he led the league in rushing at 4.7 yards per carry this season, and the Rams allowed a whopping 5.1 yards per rushing attempt.  No team allowed more rushing yards to opposing running backs this season as opponents racked up an astonishing 1,957 yards on the ground against LA.  Dallas makes it back to the NFC Championship game for the first time in over 24 years and beats the Rams 28-24.