Rams open new stadium with narrow win over Cowboys

The Cowboys took their first lead of the game 14-13 by using their two-minute offense to score a touchdown on a 1-yard run from Elliott with 17 seconds remaining in the first half. The Rams were in control early, gaining 137 yards in the first quarter to 23 for the Cowboys.

Malcolm Brown rushed for two touchdowns and Jared Goff passed for 275 yards as the Los Angeles Rams opened their new $5 billion SoFi Stadium Sunday night with a 20-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Inglewood, Calif. Brown finished with 79 yards on the ground, as the team's three-headed rushing attack of Brown, Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr., gained a combined 124 yards. Los Angeles wide receiver Robert Woods caught six passes for 105 yards and another 14 on a carry of his own.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was 25 of 39 for 266 yards and one touchdown, while Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 96 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. The Cowboys (0-1) had one last drive starting with 2:35 remaining, but an offensive pass interference call on Michael Gallup negated a gain that would have put Dallas in field-goal position and created a third-and-20 from the Dallas 24. The Cowboys turned the ball over on downs with six seconds remaining.

The Rams' secondary made two key plays in the fourth quarter. Instead of trying for a game-tying field goal from inside of 30 yards early in the quarter, the Cowboys went for it on fourth down, but Los Angeles safety Jordan Fuller stopped Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb one yard short at 9-yard line. On the Cowboys' next possession, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who agreed to a five-year, $105-million deal Wednesday, prevented a third-down completion to Amari Cooper with just over five minutes remaining, and the Cowboys were forced to punt.

The Rams' offense got off to a fast start to the season, going 75 yards in seven plays on its first possession with Brown scoring on a 1-yard plunge up the middle. The Rams (1-0) moved the ball again on their second drive, which ended when rookie kicker Sam Sloman missed a 29-yard field goal. The Cowboys took advantage, driving the ball 80 yards in eight plays to tie the score 7-7 early in the second quarter on a 19-yard pass from Prescott to Elliott.

The Rams' offense was on the move again in the second quarter, but could not find the end zone. Los Angeles took a 13-7 lead on Sloman field goals of 35 and 31 yards. The Cowboys took their first lead of the game 14-13 by using their two-minute offense to score a touchdown on a 1-yard run from Elliott with 17 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Rams were in control early, gaining 137 yards in the first quarter to 23 for the Cowboys. Los Angeles even had a heavy advantage in time of possession in the first half at 19:35-10:25, yet still trailed at the break. The Rams gained 422 yards of total offense in the game to 380 for the Cowboys.

--Field Level Media

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