Are the Cowboys a Serious Threat to Rams in the NFC?

During the 2019 NFL Divisional Round, the Los Angeles Rams hosted the Dallas Cowboys in what was a back-and-forth affair in which Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson, paired with a wicked spin move from Jared Goff, saw the Rams dispatch Dallas, earning the franchise their lone playoff victory at the Los Angeles Coliseum in the 21st century.

Fast forward to today, and both franchises may be on a collision course for yet another dramatic playoff battle.

New head coach Brian Schottenheimer has made positive waves in Dallas, establishing a good relationship with Micah Parsons as he looks to make more of a difference from when he was offensive coordinator last season.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer recently wrote about the Cowboys.

"I think Brian Schottenheimer has a good shot to make it as Dallas Cowboys coach and, to me, the Micah Parsons situation is a great illustration of why," stated Breer.

Breer detailed a report about the steps taken by Schottenheimer to help heal issues between Parsons and the organization, issues caused by a lack of an extension for Parsons despite Parsons being one of the best players in football.

Breer mentioned Schottenheimer has taken ideas from his legendary father Marty Schottenheimer as well as Dan Quinn to build connections.

"It was about getting to know Parsons like he was everyone else on the roster, or even more so," detailed Breer. "So early in the offseason, Schottenheimer went to a charity event the fifth-year pro was staging. The two carved out one-on-one time together. He already knew Parsons, having been around. He made every effort to get to know him better."

“To me, it was all about connections,” Schottenheimer says. “Being someone that was a coach that had been in the building, not just as a coordinator but as a consultant, I wanted to get back to the feeling where everyone wanted to get to know each other on a deeper level. Everyone was going in the same direction, and the best way to go in the same direction is to know everybody’s why and know everybody’s heartbeat for why they do what they do, why they make the sacrifice that they do.”

The Cowboys have a talented roster with players like Dak Prescott, the aforementioned Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, Tyler Smith, and others. They added George Pickens and drafted Tyler Booker to replace Zach Martin.

They have the team, and now they have a culture builder. They're a team the Rams need to watch out for come playoff time. You never know what might happen.