The Los Angeles Rams took care of business in the preseason opener, beating the Dallas Cowboys, 31-21. The game was never particularly close despite it “only” being a 10-point win, as Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

They struck first with touchdowns on their first two drives, grabbing an early 14-0 lead thanks to Blake Corum’s two scores. The closest the Cowboys got was 14-6 at halftime, but the Rams scored 17 points in the second half to prevent Dallas from ever getting too close for comfort.

The Rams and Cowboys won’t play each other in the regular season, making this their lone matchup of 2025 unless they meet in the playoffs. Both teams rested their top players, including Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, so it was mostly be backups running the show.

Get a recap of all the action below, with highlights and the top plays from Los Angeles’ 31-21 victory at home in the preseason opener.

16-for-24, 188 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 100.7 passer rating

Hear what McVay and Bennett had to say after the Rams’ win over Dallas.

The Rams ran all over the Cowboys, rushing for 181 yards in the 10-point victory. They also outgained the Cowboys in total yards, 364-297, picking up 22 first downs and going 5-for-11 on third down.

Grier came in after Milton was shaken up and had a positive impact for the Cowboys. He sparked a touchdown drive, finding the end zone himself with an 8-yard rushing score to make it a 31-21 game – still in favor of the Rams.

Schrader got some serious momentum going in the fourth quarter, breaking off long run after long run. It started with a 16-yarder, then a 25-yarder, followed by a 10-yard run and a 3-yard rush. He totaled 54 yards on the drive, which was capped off by a Stetson Bennett touchdown pass to Brennan Presley.

The Cowboys scored their first touchdown of the game, a 7-yard touchdown pass from Joe Milton to Rivaldo Fairweather with 8:48 left in the fourth quarter. That cut the Rams’ lead to 24-14 after the two-point conversion.

Bennett finally got his first touchdown pass of the game when he hit Schrader with a 9-yard pass to add to the Rams’ lead. It made the score 24-6 after the PAT as the Rams continued to pour it on the Cowboys.

The Rams scored the only points of the third quarter, a field goal by Karty to pad their lead to 17-6. The enter the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead as they look to start the preseason with a win.

The Rams padded their lead to 17-6 with Karty’s first field goal of the preseason, a 37-yarder.

Bennett took a shot on the Rams’ first possession of the second half, throwing deep for Konata Mumpfield on second-and-4. The pass was picked off by Israel Mukuamu, who made a spectacular play to create the turnover.

Lampkin is one of the many cornerbacks battling to make the 53-man roster and he turned a few heads on Saturday with this interception. Joe Milton chucked one deep on second down and Lampkin tracked it the whole way, hauling it in as he went to the ground in the end zone.

At the break, the Rams lead the Cowboys by a score of 14-6. The Rams outgained the Cowboys, 156-97, in the first half but Dallas scored field goals on each of its last two drives to cut the deficit almost in half.

Halftime leaders

Stetson Bennett: 10-for-16, 115 yards, 84.1 ratingBlake Corum: 9 carries, 32 yards, 2 TDsXavier Smith: 3 catches, 55 yardsChris Paul Jr.: 5 tacklesJosaiah Stewart: 1 sack

The Cowboys got on the board midway through the second quarter with a field goal from 35 yards out, capping off a penalty-filled drive with three points.

That cut the Rams’ lead to 14-3.

McVay said Stafford had a very good workout on Saturday, noting that it was a “very good step in the right direction.” That’s encouraging as Stafford is set to potentially return to practice on Monday when the team is back on the field.

McVay on broadcast about Matthew Stafford’s workout today: “It was great. He looked awesome. He was able to activate all parts of the field. He looked strong, he looked sturdy. It was a very good step in the right direction and he looked like the guy we’re accustomed to seeing”

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) August 10, 2025

Stewart won to the outside with a bull rush against the left tackle, a play where he probably could’ve even drawn a penalty for holding.

He’s a promising rookie who should have an impact this season.

Paul is only a rookie and missed most of training camp with a calf injury, but he’s gained the trust of the coaching staff. He’s wearing the green dot as the defensive signal caller today, a good sign for the first-year linebacker.

Rookie ILB Pooh Paul Jr. has been wearing the green dot (on-field signal caller/relaying calls from DC) for the Rams’ defense. Imagine it has to do partly with ILBs coach Greg Williams calling the plays, but also says a lot about the trust Williams has in Paul to have that role.

— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) August 9, 2025

The Rams lead 14-0 after the first quarter, going 2-for-2 on their opening drives, scoring two touchdowns. Defensively, they didn’t allow a first down to Dallas and held the Cowboys to 1 total yard.

Total yards

First downs

For the second time in as many drives, Corum found the end zone to give the Rams a 14-0 lead.

Touchdown drive: 13 plays, 64 yards. Rams lead, 14-0.

The Cowboys weren’t on the field very long, going three-and-out on their first drive with three incompletions by Joe Milton. A.J. Green broke up the pass on third down, which was nearly intercepted by Josh Wallace.

Corum didn’t score as a rookie in the preseason or regular season, but he finally got into the end zone on Saturday for his first NFL touchdown. It was a 1-yard run out of shotgun, barrelling up the middle for six points.

It gave the Rams a 7-0 lead after the PAT by Joshua Karty.

Touchdown drive: 11 plays, 79 yards. Stetson Bennett: 4/6, 71 yards.

The Rams went for it on fourth-and-6 instead of trying a long field goal and Bennett delivered with a perfect throw to Smith. It was a deep ball down the left sideline, which Smith hauled in while getting both feet in bounds.

After review, the call stood as a reception.

QB: Stetson BennettRB: Blake CorumWR: Xavier Smith, Drake Stoops, Konata MumpfieldTE: Davis Allen

The Rams won the coin flip and elected to receive the opening kickoff. As a reminder, Mike LaFleur and Greg Williams will be calling the plays today.

Rams about to receive the kick off against the Cowboys. Reminder that OC Mike LaFleur and LBs coach Greg Williams are calling plays for offense and defense, respectively.

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) August 9, 2025

Mumpfield is set to play his first NFL game, making his debut at SoFi Stadium.

Kendrick is in the building for his first game since 2023.

The Rams are going with white jerseys and blue pants today.

Here is Los Angeles’ preseason schedule.

Week 1: Rams 31, Cowboys 21Saturday, Aug. 16, vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 4 p.m. PTSaturday, Aug. 23, at Cleveland Browns, 10 a.m. PT