The first preseason game of the year is officially in the books for the Dallas Cowboys.
It was a bit of a rocky start for Dallas, but it was the first preseason game of the year and some rust has to be knocked off and all of that jazz. At the very least it provided the first opportunity for Brian Schottenheimer to call plays and therefore to get all of those “firsts” out of the way. Ultimately we are officially in football season now and can start to continue to build the puzzle as we move along.
If you missed the game you did not get to experience Joe Milton and/or Phil Mafah. They were the stars of the contest in different sorts of senses.
Below you will find our recaps as they came out after each and every quarter of the contest as it unfolded. It reads in chronological order so the first quarter is first, so on and so forth.
Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments down below.
The Los Angeles Rams began Saturday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with the ball and things were busy right away.
As the Rams began marching down the field the Cowboys suffered a few scares. Defensive end Payton Turner went down with an apparent injury, although he did ultimately jog off of the field. Shortly after the Turner incident the Cowboys saw a cornerback exit in Robert Rochell.
A few seconds after this the Rams found themselves just past midfield and facing a 4th and 5. Whether or not they would have done so in a regular season is unknown, but Sean McVay rolled the dice and went for it.
McVay’s gamble proved to be worth it as Stetson Bennett found Xavier Smith way downfield for a catch. Brian Schottenheimer challenged the play so he clearly did not think it was a completion, but the play ultimately stood.
Payton Turner returned before the possession ended so that was great news in and of itself. Unfortunately the Cowboys wound up giving up a touchdown as Blake Corum ultimately cashed in for the Rams.
It was at this point that things got interesting as Brian Schottenheimer took over as the Dallas Cowboys offensive play-caller for the first time in an actual game, even if this is the preseason.
Unfortunately the excitement was not long-lived. Schotty dialed up three straight pass plays for Joe Milton to start things off and they all fell incomplete before the Cowboys punted.
So began another tough drive for the Cowboys defense. L.A. was marching down the field with relative ease and picked up a pass interference penalty against Markquese Bell to put themselves within striking distance for a second time in as many possessions.
Just like the first time around… Blake Corum cashed in.
Things went similarly for the Cowboys the second time around. Joe Milton managed to at least connect with Jalen Tolbert to start the drive, but it was so far back in terms of the line of scrimmage that it resulted in lost yards. Ultimately it was another three and out before Dallas punted again.
When the first quarter ended the Rams looked ready to pick up where they left off.
Shortly after the second quarter began the Rams punted to the Cowboys and Dallas began to show signs of life. Joe Milton started to move the ball and so did Deuce Vaughn… before an offensive penalty showed up.
The offensive holding against Dallas was a bit of a premonition for what the drive would entail on both sides. L.A. got called for a number of fouls, including some after the whistle and one play even featured a double penalty moment as Jonathan Mingo drew a pass interference, but CeeDee Lamb was in the official’s way on the sideline. Preseason, or whatever.
Ultimately the Cowboys were able to get close to the goal line and partly due to the stellar running of Phil Mafah. They had to settle for a Brandon Aubrey field goal, but they drew points for the first time on the evening.
The Rams were unable to do much with the ball for the first time in the game and punted it away to Dallas. Perhaps the officials turned things around for the Cowboys.
Dallas moved and move and move… and moved. The Cowboys drained the clock all the way down to its final seconds in the process and set Brandon Aubrey up for another field goal opportunity. He converted and the Cowboys entered halftime down 14-6.
The second half began with Dallas getting the ball to start and they picked up where they left off with Phil Mafah doing what he could to keep things alive. Joe Milton got involved on the ground as well.
Joe Milton then got a little too aggressive. He tried to thread one into the endzone and costed the team as it wound up in a defender’s hands for an interception.
Thankfully… interceptions suddenly became very popular!
Just a few plays after Milton was picked off, Stetson Bennett got got himself. It was Israel Mukuamu who made the interception for the Cowboys.
Unfortunately the Cowboys could not do much with the gift so they wound up punting the ball back to the Rams. This time Los Angeles turned that into some points, but only a field goal so not too bad of a break for Dallas.
The Cowboys got the ball back down 11 at this point and were doing what they could to try and score. They were able to get to a 4th and 3 situation near midfield and decided to go for it. Joe Milton scrambled and tried to get the first down himself, but he was pushed out of bounds just before doing so.
Things came to an end in the third quarter with the Rams holding the ball and having a 17-6 lead.
Shortly after the fourth quarter began the Rams scored a touchdown to make things 24-6. With about the full period to play it was obvious who was going to “win” this game.
This didn’t stop the Cowboys from giving their whole effort, though. Joe Milton went back to work and found Traeshon Holden for a big gain that put the team in striking distance.
Shortly after Milton threw his first touchdown as a Cowboys quarterback.
The good vibes from this moment were short-lived as they were earlier in the game, though. After the Cowboys scored the Rams marched down the field pretty unchallenged and scored another touchdown to make it 31-14.
On the next Cowboys possession quarterback Joe Milton appeared to get a little banged up. Milton seemed to want to get back in the game and while he was arguing to do so Malik Davis was putting on a show. Will Grier helped get the offense in striking distance and then did the final thing all by himself!
It was a nice moment for the Cowboys to end on generally speaking, although we will certainly be keeping tabs on the status of Joe Milton moving forward.
The first preseason game is officially in the books!