Cowboys Pounded By Rams As Three Problems Go Unsolved

Cowboys Pounded By Rams As Three Problems Go Unsolved originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Phil Mafah said he was ready to finally be able to hit people with the franchise opening up their preseason with a clash against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday ... and Mafah and the running game was indeed one of the three areas that Cowboys Nation entered this outing with some concerns about.

In short: Can Dallas' cornerbacks cover? Can the defensive tackles clog the run? And are the Cowboys' running backs good enough?

After the Rams' 31-21 pounding of the visitors here, there are not answers in the affirmative.

Dallas gave up 181 rushing yards, fell behind 14-0 early with Rams receivers moving with too much freedom against those corners, and took quite a while to bother getting around to trying to run the football.

Maybe that was because new No. 2 QB Joe Milton's exposure to live action was a priority, but this was not a stellar night for him, either. It took until about 9 minutes were left in the game before the Dallas offense scored a TD (on a Milton toss to tight end Rivaldo Fairweather) and when Dallas scored again, third-stringer Will Grier did the honors on a scramble.

In total, Milton was 17 or 29 for 143 yards (with a lot of misses) plus five carries for 22 yards.

So, what about those running backs?

With Mafah one of the select few backs on the roster not to have been dinged up throughout training camp, he was expected to not only get on the field against the Rams but also play significant snaps.

Having not played a "proper" game for months, did the 6-1, 234-pound rookie from Clemson see this game against the Rams as one where he can finally be the physical beast we know him to be?

“Yeah, I do,'' Mafah said entering the weekend. "It's been a while since we had actually tackling to the ground. So, that'll be new, but I'm just excited to actually play some real football, be able to just go out there, have fun. First NFL game ever.

"So, I'm just taking it in and just a surreal moment.”

He did have his moments (10 carries for 36 yards), but it was tough going. Really, only Malik Davis's late work (averaging nine yards per carry on seven totes) creates the false impression that the Cowboys ran the ball effectively here.

Can this change?

After beginning his offseason in slow fashion, Mafah has picked up coach Brian Schottenheimer's offense and all the little details to the point where he is now regularly making plays in practice ... and good ones at that.

Given the nature of the running back room and the number of players "ahead" of him, the game against the Rams marked a huge opportunity for Mafah to plant his stake in the ground and to give the coaching staff something to think about.

That didn't quite happen. ... for Mafah, for the run stoppers, for the cornerbacks or for Milton.

There will be better days. Or, at least, there had better be better days.

Related: Cowboys' Javonte Williams Scouts Running Back Room With 4 Words

Related: Inside How To Grade Cowboys Preseason: Schotty's 'Clubs Are In The Bag!'

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.