FRISCO, TEXAS — The Cowboys hit the road to open up the 2020 season against the Rams at SoFi Stadium. Football is back and Sunday night’s premiere game will no doubt be an exciting one as both teams that missed playoffs in 2019 by a slim margin go head-to-head.
Here are a couple of player matchups to keep an eye on:
WR Amari Cooper/CB Jalen Ramsey- Ramsey will likely shadow Cooper in Sunday’s game as the Rams’ top shutdown corner. He is one of the best press corners in the league and has the athletic ability to turn and run with elite receivers. Cooper has struggled against Ramsey in the past accumulating just two targets (1-9-0) and five targets (4-29-0) in those two previous contests. He was not as productive on the road last season in creating separation from top corners in man-to-man coverage, but he is still one of the best at getting in and out of his breaks with immense speed to out leverage his opponent.
Cooper has dealt with a hamstring injury and had a limited workload late in training camp. He was listed on the practice report but will play against the Rams. In speaking with media on Ramsey, he described, “ He has all the intangible assets that you would want in a cornerback, fast, long, can cover, and has good ball skills. It’s always a challenge but exciting at the same time.”
LG Connor Williams/ DT Aaron Donald- The Rams’ defense is centered on Donald and he will likely line up over Williams at left guard, as opposed to Zack Martin at right guard. He can disrupt passing attacks with his pressure up the middle on quarterbacks. Donald is arguably the best interior pass rusher in the league and Williams, along with center Joe Looney, will have the challenging task of neutralizing him to provide Dak Prescott enough time to release the ball/go through his reads in the pocket. Donald is a nightmare matchup and one that teams have to game plan around. Dallas has no shortage of offensive weapons for Prescott to target but he will need adequate time to get the ball off. Donald can wreck havoc and winning the battle at the line of scrimmage is critical for the Cowboys’ offensive line.
Mike McCarthy spoke to D210Sports on the traits that make Donald the elite six-time pro bowl veteran. He stated, “ He really came into the league and was impactful. He’s just so explosive. He’s excellent with his hands. His instincts, I think are rare for an interior defensive lineman. If he gets that half step on you, the edge on you- his ability to close and finish on the quarterback, I think is a tremendous trait that he has. He has a great motor. I think he’s definitely one of the better players- one of the better interior defensive lineman I’ve seen in my time in this league…. with that, we have a plan an we got to play to our plan. He’s obviously a focal point for us.”
