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Wasn’t it great to wake up this morning Charles Haley Jersey Stitched , stretch out your arms, and thank your lucky stars that the Dallas Cowboys will be playing in a divisional 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 Youth DeMarcus Ware 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 DeMarcus Ware Jersey Stitched , 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 Cowboys are hoping to improve their secondary by fixing the defensive line."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Dallas Cowboys NewsDallas Cowboys 2019 DraftCowboys front-office not worried about the safety position, but should they be?New,240commentsThe Cowboys are hoping to improve their secondary by fixing the defensive line.CDTShareTweetShareShareCowboys front-office not worried about the safety position, but should they be?Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsIt was a common refrain heard about the Dallas Cowboys heading into the draft. Safety was a top need. We posed a question about the Cowboys top need for the draft to fans of the team and 71% said safety was the top need (21% went with defensive tackle). When the Cowboys invited four safeties for pre-draft visits who were all projected to go early in the draft Youth Dak Prescott Jersey , that was thought to be a sure tip-off about the direction the front-office was headed. Not so fast, my friend.The Cowboys had their pick of three of those pre-draft visitors (Juan Thornhill, Taylor Rapp and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson), plus Nasir Adderley had also fallen to that spot in the draft. We’ve since learned that the real decision was between Thornhill and the guy they eventually took, defensive tackle Trysten Hill. That at least says that safety was on their mind, but they really didn’t address the position until the sixth round when they took Donovan Wilson. Yes, they took Xavier Woods in the sixth round a few drafts ago and that has worked out pretty well, but Woods was considered a steal who had fallen. Wilson comes with no such accolades and is a typical sixth-rounder meaning his path to even making the 53-man roster is dicey.So as it stands, it would seem that safety is still the biggest hole on the roster.Here is where public perception and front-office internal belief do not exactly lineup. Or, is it just that once the Cowboys passed on Thornhill, the front office is stating their belief in Heath and Iloka in hindsight?Now Dak Prescott Jersey Stitched , if the Cowboys had gone the other way and selected Thornhill, then it would be hard for Jones to say they felt good about their safety position and that they don’t spend resources on the position. In truth, they came close to taking Thornhill so we can fairly interpret they have some trepidation about how good they are at that spot on the roster.The Cowboys are subscribing to the theory that a strong pass rush makes any secondary better. One of the reasons they loved Trysten Hill so much is that he is an upfield player who can disrupt the pocket, a guy who can push a quarterback off his spot and into the arms of DeMarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn. This helps a secondary that is trying to cover receivers.There is truth to that idea. If Hill can turn into a player that is consistently causing havoc in the pass rush, and that’s the key to protecting the secondary, then the gamble will pay off. To make that happen, Dallas had to target a defensive tackle who was not a space-eater, not a run-stuffer who can absorb blockers. They needed a guy who can shoot the gap and take away the option of the quarterback stepping up in the pocket and can occasionally get his own sack. That’s the scouting report on Hill - a gap-shooter with an explosive first-step. In the Cowboys case, safety starts up front.