Los Angeles Rams vs Dallas Cowboys opening odds: Who wins matchup of 2021 playoff teams?

The Los Angeles Rams will return home following their two-game NFC West vacation to take on a rather tantalizing opponent in the Dallas Cowboys, with the Rams opening as 6-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook. This matchup between 2021 playoff teams could have a large impact on the postseason picture once the regular season ends.

LA has yet to play their hated divisional mate in the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 on MNF but the team has really turned the page after an uneven start to 2022. Last Sunday, the Rams defense shut down Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in a 20-12 win in Glendale, Arizona.

Murray was held without a touchdown and limited to only eight rushing yards, finishing with a 77.8 passer rating against a stout Los Angeles D. LA’s defense kept Arizona’s running game from doing much damage by holding them to 70 yards off 21 total attempts (a 3.3 average).

Receivers for the Rams have been largely unreliable outside of Cooper Kupp so the Cowboys’ elite defense will have their hands full. The production the reigning Offensive Player of the Year has put up with Matthew Stafford at the helm has been both breathtaking and historic.

Dallas is in excellent shape defensively as cornerback Trevon Diggs who has two picks in his last two games and DPOY favorite Micah Parsons have kept their team afloat the last three games. In the opener against Tampa Bay, quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a thumb injury which caused him to miss matchups against the Bengals, Giants and Commanders.

Those Rushin’ to the Cowboys demise were dead wrong, including myself which made me incredibly sad. I wanted nothing more than to keep Skip Bayless from breaking out his cringy dance moves. Anyways, enter backup Cooper Rush who not only led Dallas to wins in every game without Prescott under center, but created a special place in Cowboys lore.

There is uncertainty over whether Dak will return this week against the Rams so the odds might change depending on any potential developments. If I were Jerry Jones, I wouldn’t let my star QB coming off an injury and subject him to a hungry Aaron Donald racing towards him. But Jerry’s gonna Jerry. That’s not to say he’s medically cleared Prescott to return Week 5 just yet.

Who do you trust more this week? Will the Dallas defense that has yet to allow more than 20 points in a game find a way to break against the best offense they’ve seen this season? Will Cooper Rush do the improbable and lead the Cowboys to victory over the defending champs if Dak Prescott is unable to play? No matter who starts under center for Dallas this weekend, I see their luck running out against a more battle-tested opponent.

My pick is for the Rams to go under the spread and win a thriller against the underdog Cowboys. Who are you betting on in Week 5? Let’s discuss in the comments!