NFL's Divisional Playoffs: The Premature Death of The High Flying Offensive Circus? (RAMS COWBOYS PREVIEW)

   

       After the Wild Card Weekend's slow building, low scoring games unfolded, everyone in sports punditry made sure to exaggerate the death of the (exaggerated in the first place) High Flying Offensive Circus that was ushered in upon our public unconscious when Kansas City and The LA Rams put on a 50 something to 50 something epic scorefest that made everyone from Dan Patrick to Colin Cowherd cry "these greatest show on turf offenses are here to stay" only to now backtrack and expand their "vast knowledge" on "offensive trends" in the NFL and have no pontificated about how "none of these high flying teams will be able to score as many points, throw as much, run as many deep routes and option plays due to the cold weather" and will now be forced to "grind it out" or lose in the playoffs (The Chargers 23 points stands as the most a team scored, with the average 24 points a game in the regular season down to 18 over the first round weekend).
         Woah woah woah....
         I wish overreaction and sports didn't go hand in hand as they so clearly do since the advent of media attention  (with social media only serving to send all of this into hyperspeed), yet this obsession with Old School Run It Up the Middle 100 Times a Game or Lose VS Chuck it Up the Field 100 Times a Game or Lose is getting annoying.
       Quite clearly, anyone watching the NFL knows that in this day and age it takes many ways to win in the playoffs. You may not even be playing in a cold weather stadium for a playoff game and the reliance on the running game won't be an overwhelming factor.
      You may not even be playing outside, such as in New Orleans in the Superdome. We've also seen shootouts in the cold in the NFL playoffs before and games where the cold weather passing game was actually the all too crucial wrinkle in getting over the line.
     

LA RAMS VS DALLAS COWBOYS
        That's why we begin in LA where Dallas should be expecting a near home crowd audience to watch them play catch-up against the awesome might of The Rams offense under Coach Sean McVay, The Quarterback Whisperer (who somehow  made Kirk Cousins a playoff contender) to his quarterback, young Jared Goff.

        This is going to be a festival of scoring, though it won't be an aerial show that we're all expecting, at least not from Dallas. This is going to be a ground warfare, speedfreak type Mad Max inferno game where we're going to see the Rams' Todd Gurley going toe to toe against Dallas's Ezekiel Elliott.
         Both Elliott and Gurley have incredible pace to go with the power: We're talking a lot of time for both offenses out on that field in the LA Coliseum and who's going to have the ball the longest?  I'm not sure how well LA will do in stopping Elliott; The Rams have the worst rushing defense in the NFL, dead last at 5.1 yards allowed per rush.   

          Unless the Cowboys offensive line completely bungles this golden opportunity to capitalize on a soft defensive front and buy their quarterback  (Dak) some time in the play action game, Dallas may be able to take a few leads and strangle it back from LA in what should be a back and forth contest with lots of points.

      Is Dallas going to keep Goff off of the field long enough with Elliott eating up the clock?
      Can the overrated Cowboys secondary actually compete with the plethora of weapons at Jared Goff and expert play-caller Sean McVay's disposal?
      Goff, Elliott and Dak Prescott aside, what will decide this game is not the turnover battle, but rather who can score off of those turnovers. Points generated elsewhere from the typical offensive means will decide who pulls out in front of the topsy turvy back and forth tilt-a-wirl of a game ahead of us in LA.
      I think the Rams' all-pro defensive end Aaron Donald will make a play and the Rams will score either a defensive touchdown from it, or will punch it in the red zone and pull ahead from Dallas thanks to the ponderous pocket passing decisions of Dak Prescott.

      Prescott hangs on to the ball often too long instead of using his legs  (something that won Dallas the game over Seattle last week) and the Seahawks defensive line never really exploited that.
      I think the Rams will get burned in the run game, just as the Cowboys will be savaged by Todd Gurley. But the Rams will complete more big passing plays and take the ball from Dallas, just edging them in what should be a classic.

PREDICTION:
Rams over Cowboys 42-38

Tell us who you think is going to win, if we're wrong or right, if Jerry Jones will pull a gun on a California liberal heckler or if the offenses are screwed in this year's already low scoring postseason.