Gurley steals the show in upset
ARLINGTON, Texas - Todd Gurley can help make Jared Goff’s second go-round in the NFL much more enjoyable than the first.
What better way for the Los Angeles Rams running back to show it than to lead a win over last year’s dynamic rookie duo of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and 2016 NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott?
Gurley scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 53-yard catch-and-run while generating 215 total yards, Greg Zuerlein kicked a career-high seven field goals and the Rams beat the Cowboys, 35-30, on Sunday.
Gurley finished with 121 yards rushing and 94 receiving as the Rams overcame two first-half touchdowns from Elliott the day before a federal appeals court hearing related to the star running back’s blocked six-game suspension over a domestic incident in Ohio.
“Me being able to step up takes a lot of stress off everybody, and we obviously have a lot of guys that can do a lot of things, just being able to have diversity on offense,” Gurley said.
The Rams (3-1) rallied from 11 points down late in the first half and matched their start from a year ago, when they went 1-11 the rest of the way as Goff, the No. 1 overall pick, was sitting and later lost the first seven starts of his career.
Goff showed more poise in first-year coach Sean McVay’s offense, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He has seven TD passes and one interception this season.
The Cowboys (2-2) are already a loss shy of their total from last season when Prescott, the 135th pick in Goff’s draft, was the NFL offensive rookie of the year for the top-seeded team in the NFC.
And Prescott is already one interception away from last year’s total of four after a play that was originally ruled a fumble was changed to a diving pick by linebacker Mark Barron at the Dallas 29. Zuerlein’s sixth field gave the Rams 19 straight points and a 3224 lead.
“We’re not going to lose confidence,” Prescott said. “We feel like we’re getting better. Even in a loss, we’re going to find a way to get better.”
Dallas held the Rams to 131 yards in the first half, but the absence of All-Pro linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring) showed up after halftime. After punting on their first possession of the second half, the Rams scored five straight times, including Gurley’s long TD catch.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, punted on their first three possessions of the second half after scoring on all four first-half drives. Prescott’s interception came on the fourth possession after halftime against a defense led by former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips.
“Just had little corrections we had to fix here and there,” said All-Pro Aaron Donald, who had Prescott wrapped for a sack in the first half before losing his grip as Prescott ducked and spun away on an 18-yard throw to Dez Bryant. “Once we did that we were solid.”
Prescott was 20 of 36 for 252 yards with three touchdowns, including a 10-yarder to Elliott. Bryant had five catches for a seasonhigh 98 yards.