3 keys for LA Rams Saturday’s joint practice with Dallas Cowboys

Today, August 7, 2021, the LA Rams and Dallas Cowboys will host joint practices. Iron sharpens iron. That sort of thing. It’s a good time to key in on a few of the questions that are dangling out there on the internet and Cosmos. Perhaps, with a bit of luck, even settle on full-blown answers. If not, even hints or clues will do.

The LA Rams hosted the disrespectful Dallas Cowboys in 2020 and sent their full-strength team back to Dallas with a loss. That was after the Cowboys’ defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence all but guaranteed that the Cowboys would win the opener. He wasn’t alone, as many analysts predicted that the Super Bowl favorite Cowboys would win that game by three points or more.

The Rams turned out to be a much better team than many analysts and pundits expected. Conversely, the Dallas Cowboys turned out to be a much worse team than many analysts and pundits predicted.  The signs were there in that opener, as the LA Rams defense was awfully stout against the high-powered Cowboys offense.

Both teams have their sights set on the grand prize this season. The Cowboys believe that with starting quarterback Dak Prescott under center, they have one of the best offenses in the NFL. So good that even if the improvements made to the defense over the offseason do not take, the Cowboys will still win the NFC East and claim a playoff berth.

The LA Rams did earn a playoff berth in 2020 as a wildcard team but upgraded their quarterback by trading for Detroit Lions’ veteran Matthew Stafford. Now, with nitro added to their offense as well, and with the top defense in the NFL from 2020, the team believes that it has what it takes to go the distance.  The joint practice today will give both teams a sense of where they are, and how much work remains to be done before the season starts.