13 training camps in Oxnard.
12 regular-season games in San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland.
9 preseason openers all over the Golden State.
But since Jan. 15, 1995, the Cowboys and their fans haven’t been this excited about a trip to California.
On that infamous Sunday afternoon at Candlestick Park, head coach Barry Switzer’s team fell behind the 49ers, 21-0, before staging a gallant rally that fell short and snuffed their attempt to win a three-peat Super Bowl. On Saturday night, a very different Cowboys team will try to get back to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 22 years by beating the Rams in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
“We want to win the Super Bowl,” running back Ezekiel Elliott said before Tuesday’s practice at The Star in Frisco. “To get there we have to go to Cali and get us one.”
That the Cowboys will be on the West Coast in early 2019 – and not already on vacation – is an improbable feat.
Think back to October. They were 3-4, and during their bye head coach Jason Garrett was taking in a playoff baseball game alongside country singer Brad Paisley at Dodger Stadium, creating horrible optics and drawing criticism from the likes of Jimmy Johnson. And then, it got worse. In the debut of newly acquired Amari Cooper, they were pummeled at home by the Texans on Monday Night Football.
At 3-5 and with road games looming at Philadelphia and Atlanta, the predictive analytics website FiveThirtyEight.com gave the Cowboys a 12-percent chance of making the playoffs.
The Cowboys are still underdogs – the Rams are favored by seven points – but make no mistake, this is a winnable game. Even though they beat the Saints a month ago, they match up better with Los Angeles.
Thank you, Cody Parkey and your deflected double-doink.
The Cowboys are the lowest-scoring team remaining in the NFL Playoffs. The 13-3 Rams are the second-highest scoring. So how can they produce a California quake?
Crowd
I was in the Coliseum in 1992 when the Cowboys played the then-Los Angeles Raiders and the crowd of 92,000 was at least half pro-Dallas. Expect a similar showing Saturday. Cowboys fans don’t only travel, they’re imbedded.
The Cowboys’ last Super Bowl win came in the 1995 season, the first year of a two-decade NFL hiatus from LA. With no “home” team, many Angelenos adopted “America’s Team.” Other than a preseason game in 2016, those fans haven’t seen their Cowboys in a long time.
“Hopefully it’s a lot of Rams fans,” said Rams’ coach Sean McVay. “I do have an understanding of how well the Cowboys fans travel, but we’re hopeful to see a bunch of Rams fans show up. If the Cowboys fans show up too, it will be a good atmosphere regardless.”
Experience
Sharp as he is, McVay hasn’t won a playoff game. Embattled as he is, Jason Garrett has won two.
Same at quarterback, where Jared Goff is 0-1 after last year’s home loss to the Falcons while Dak Prescott is 2-2 and coming off a performance against the Seahawks in which his agility and running sealed the victory.
Defense
The Rams’ offense lit up the NFL for the first 12 weeks, but were stymied in consecutive losses by the Bears and Eagles. The blueprint? A pass rush. Both defenses forced Goff to move and check for his secondary options. He is comfortable – deadly – when comfortable in the pocket and in rhythm. Thanks to DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory and speedy linebackers that can track running back Todd Gurley, the Cowboys won’t be intimidated or overrun by L.A.’s fast tempo.
Zeke
While Goff lost his favorite receiver (Cooper Kupp) to a season-ending injury in Week 10, Prescott has flourished since the addition of Cooper. But if the Cowboys win this game, it will be more because of Ezekiel Elliott’s legs than their quarterback’s arm.
Despite the presence of playmaking linemen Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, the Rams were gashed by the run all season. They ranked last – 32nd – allowing 5.1 yards per rush.
Who comes calling Saturday night? The Cowboys’ two-time rushing champion and two Pro Bowl offensive linemen in Zack Martin and Tyron Smith. Dallas is 8-1 when Elliott gets 30+ touches and we’ll all be shocked if that stat isn’t put the test.
The last time the Cowboys played the Rams in the playoffs, Eric Dickerson ran for 248 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-0 divisional round shutout at Anaheim Stadium. Twenty days after that Jan. 4, 1986 meeting, a baby named Sean McVay was born.
And the last time the Cowboys played the Rams in the Coliseum, they produced a 28-0 victory on Jan. 7, 1979, that propelled them to Super Bowl 13.
For a long time since, the Cowboys have been California Dreamin’.
“I don’t really have a clue, to be honest,” said receiver Michael Gallup, when asked about the Cowboys’ most recent trip to California. “Me and my team, we just go out and play. No matter who it is or where it is.”
