Wasn’t it great to wake up this morning Color Rush Brett Maher Jersey , stretch out your arms, and thank onal round playoff game? Back in the Tom Landry era, those things happened all the time, but that hasn’t been the case since the ‘90s dynasty ended. Fortunately, the Cowboys appear to be up-and-coming as this will be their third divisional playoff game in five years. The last two ended in heartbreak and we are all holding our collective breath that the same doesn’t happen today.How do you feel about today’s contest against the #2 seed Los Angeles Rams. You know, that same Rams team people were penciling in to the Super Bowl after their 8-0 start. That same Rams team that out-shot Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs 54-51 in a Week 11 Monday night shootout. The greatest show on turf has moved their operation over to the confines of the LA Coliseum, but their still an explosive offensive unit. Led by All-Pro running back Todd Gurley, no. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, and a couple 1,200+ wide receivers in Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods - this team is primed to score some points. The Cowboys defense will have different plans, but now it’s just a matter of which one shows up and performs. Who comes out on top in this one? Which player is the difference maker today? A few of us here at Blogging The Boys provide our take on how things will go down.Michael StrawnI’m already on-record saying this will be the Cowboys best performance of the season. I feel the stars align for them and they get big plays on offense http://www.authenticsdallascowboys.com/cheap-la_el-collins-jersey , defense and special teams. I’ll probably look silly in 24 hours but that’s my gut (heart?) speaking.X-Factor: Jason GarrettWill Garrett come out and run the same old predictable Dallas game plan with the same old conservative “keep it close and win at the end” strategy? Or will he approach this game as Jimmy Johnson would: when you go up against an opponent that’s better on paper you don’t tippy tap around them....you give ‘em your best shot! I want to see aggressive play-calling; flea-flickers, reverses, fake field goals, 4th down tries.Not all of these things obviously, but some of them! Don’t go to the locker room having left your best play or a play you’ve been holding onto in the bag. Give the Rams EVERYTHING you got!Final Score: Cowboys 33 - Rams 17David HowmanMy prediction is for the Cowboys to start off strong on offense and then go into a conservative “protect the lead” mode much like the Saints game earlier in the year. I also expect this defense to throw a big wrench in the Rams offense, aided further by loud Cowboys fans, and I think Goff will get things going a bit too late as the Cowboys get a big win.X-Factor: Randy GregoryMuch like the Cowboys will focus on stopping Aaron Donald, the Rams are going to prioritize limiting Tank, but Gregory has been great the last month and could have a career game in trying to pressure Goff into mistakes.Final Score: Cowboys 23 - Rams 13 Tom RyleI’m going with the Cowboys winning this game as the defense will keep Goff and Gurley in check. X-Factor: Dak PrescottThe Rams are probably going to focus on stopping Zeke, and Prescott will make them pay. He will miss a few as he usually does, but will again be at his best late in the game.Final Score: Cowboys 27 - Rams 20Danny PhantomThe Rams are a good football team and there are definitely things about them that scare me Color Rush Jaylon Smith Jersey , but the Cowboys have shown a level of resiliency lately that can spring board you into February football. One of the great things about this team is that, despite their struggles at times, they can play with anyone. They’re never outmatched. And ever since they league turned their backs on them and counted them out after starting 3-5, the Cowboys keep doing what they’ve always done. Fight.This team is hungry and the Rams suspect run defense is like an all-you-can-eat buffet for Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys will surprise no one as they showcase their identity which is a strong running attack. Look for the game to start of slow again with field goals leading the way early. The Cowboys will play from behind most of the game, but a big defensive play in the third quarter will shift the momentum. The Rams will retake the lead in the fourth quarter, but Dak Prescott comes through again. This could be one of those defining games for Mr. Prescott.X-Factor: Leighton Vander EschSomehow, someway, the ball will find it’s way into his hands and when it does - the rookie is taking it too the house!Final Score: Cowboys 27 - Rams 24Let’s check to see what the fans on Twitter had to say... The Dallas Cowboys went on the road and the offense looked nothing like the unit that hung 40 points on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Washington dominated the Cowboys offensive line, and it wasn’t even from an overload of blitzes. The Cowboys offensive line committed three holding penalties and an illegal chop block ending drives and putting the team behind the chains. Dak Prescott didn’t help matters when he fumbled the ball twice, once after picking up a first down on a fourth down attempt, and then the killer turnover when he lost track of where he was and turned into the endzone and was strip-sacked for a Washington touchdown.The Cowboys offensive line is struggling on the road http://www.authenticsdallascowboys.com/cheap-tyrone-crawford-jersey , and in this game they gave the team no real chance. Ezekiel Elliott ended the first half with 13 rushing yards on 10 attempts. When you have a running back of the quality of Zeke, that is certainly a failure of the offensive line to open lanes. It didn’t get much better in the second half as Zeke ended the game with 34 yards on 15 carries.It was symbiotic failure between the offensive line and Prescott. You have to shift the majority of the blame on the offensive line. The failure to establish a run game made the offense truly one-dimensional. Dak Prescott is not the kind of quarterback who functions well in a one-dimensional offense. We have seen he can’t really put a team on his shoulders in the passing game. The result was an offense that staggered its way to 17 points. It didn’t help that the team gave up four sacks on the day along with numerous other pressures.Dallas has spent so much on their offensive line. It’s the backbone of what they do, and it’s not working. At least it’s not working on a consistent basis. It’s not just the interior where Travis Frederick is missing. It’s true that the holding call on Connor Williams was a huge play in the game as it wiped out a first down catch and led to Prescott fumbling in the end zone on the very next play. But you have to talk about the play of the tackles. Tyron Smith is struggling with speed rushes. He is no longer in the conversation as the best left tackle in the game. La’el Collins continues to play well in stretches, then makes big mistakes, too. The only truly dependable piece along the line right now is Zack Martin.We shouldn’t let the rest of the team off the hook. There were some plays the receivers could have made but didn’t. The tight ends are also part of the run-blocking scheme and there were too many times they were pushed back. You can also point to the coaches as they seemed to be out of ideas as to how to jump-start things. Then you have Dak, who would have had a decent game if he didn’t turn the ball over twice, once in a position where you absolutely can’t get loose with the football. Even special teams pitched in with some poor play. Chris Jones had a poor day punting the ball, and then there was the field goal sequence. First, Jason Garrett should have been aggressive at the end and tried to get better field position for the kick, or even taken a shot at the end zone. Instead, they ran the ball and ended up with what should have been a 47-yard attempt. Then the Cowboys were called for moving the ball by the long snapper that resulted in another five-yard penalty. Now it’s a 52-yard kick and Brett Maher finally failed us again after going on a long run of excellence. If that ball is kicked from 50 yards or under http://www.authenticsdallascowboys.com/cheap-kavon-frazier-jersey , it probably goes through. In the end, though, the Cowboys lost this game in the trenches. While Adrian Peterson was able to find some running room and balance the Washington offense, the Cowboys were unable to do the same. Elliott had nowhere to run all day, and the Cowboys were unable to totally overcome that. Prescott looked fine as a passer for the most part, but his two turnovers were killers, along with the team’s penalties, especially from the offensive line.They head into the bye week on a down note, and until the offensive line can figure out it’s problems on the road, this is an 8-8 team at best. www.nflshopoutlet.com/detroit-lions