If you’re looking for who won the preseason game last night, you probably realized pretty quickly that the scoreboard is the least interesting thing happening on the field. In the matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys, the Rams walked away with a 13-12 victory. It was a messy, low-scoring affair defined by four interceptions from Stetson Bennett, yet somehow, he ended the night with a game-winning touchdown pass.
Football is back. Sort of.
Preseason results are a weird currency. Fans check the score to see if their team "won," but coaches are playing a completely different game. They aren't trying to win; they're trying to evaluate. Last night’s action at SoFi Stadium was a perfect example of why stats in August can be incredibly misleading if you don't know what you're actually watching for.
Why the Rams Win over the Cowboys Was a Fever Dream
Stetson Bennett’s performance was, honestly, a rollercoaster. You don’t often see a quarterback throw four interceptions and still get labeled as the hero of the night. But that's exactly what happened. With less than seconds on the clock, Bennett found Miller Forristall for a 6-yard touchdown. It was gutsy. It was also statistically terrible for about 90% of the game.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, didn't play Dak Prescott. They didn't play CeeDee Lamb. They barely played anyone you’d recognize on a Sunday in November. This is the preseason reality. You’re watching the "fringe" guys—the players who are literally fighting for their livelihoods. For them, a missed block on a random 2nd-and-10 in the second quarter is more important than the final score.
Cooper Rush and Trey Lance split time for Dallas. Lance is the name everyone wants to talk about. The former first-round pick is trying to rebuild his career, and while he showed flashes of that elite athleticism with his legs, the passing game still feels... let's call it "in progress." He finished 25-of-41 for 188 yards. No touchdowns. No picks. It was safe, perhaps too safe.
The Secret Language of Preseason Success
When you ask who won the preseason game last night, you have to look at the "roster battles." That’s where the real winning happens.
Take the Rams' defensive line. Without Aaron Donald—which still feels weird to say—Los Angeles is desperate for pass-rush depth. They saw some genuine spark from their young rotation. It wasn't about stopping the Cowboys from scoring; it was about seeing if a rookie could hold his gap against a starting-caliber offensive lineman.
- Depth Chart Movement: A "win" in the preseason is a third-string linebacker making three special teams tackles.
- System Mastery: Coaches want to see if the backup QB can check into the right protection when the defense shows a blitz. If he does that and throws an incomplete pass, the coach is happier than if he ignores the blitz and accidentally scrambles for ten yards.
- Health: The biggest win any team can have in August is a 0 on the injury report.
If your team lost 30-0 but your first-round pick looked like a superstar for two series, you won the night. If your team won by three touchdowns but your starting left tackle tore his ACL, you lost the season. It's a brutal, pragmatic way to look at the sport, but it's the only one that matters to the front office.
Breaking Down the "Ugly" Victory
The Rams' 13-12 edge over Dallas was the kind of game that only a scout could love. It was slow. There were a lot of penalties. But buried in that slog were specific performances that will dictate how these teams look in September.
Jordan Whittington for the Rams looked like a legitimate find. He was targeted early and often, hauling in six catches for 74 yards. In the preseason, target share tells a story. It tells you the coaches trust that player to be where he's supposed to be. Whittington didn't just play; he looked like he belonged. That is a "win" that doesn't show up in the W-L column.
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On the Dallas side, the kicker battle is always a drama. Brandon Aubrey is locked in, but seeing how the operation handles long-distance attempts in a stadium environment is crucial. Every kick is a data point. Last night provided a few more points for the Cowboys' special teams coordinator to obsess over during film review at 2:00 AM.
Misconceptions About Preseason Standings
Every year, someone points out that the 0-16 Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason. It’s a cliché because it’s true. Winning in August often means your third and fourth-stringers are better than the other team's third and fourth-stringers. It rarely correlates to how the starters will perform.
Teams like the Baltimore Ravens famously went on a 24-game preseason winning streak that ended recently. Did it help them win a Super Bowl during that stretch? No. It just showed that John Harbaugh values a culture of competition at every level of the roster.
- The "Vanilla" Defense: You won't see complex blitzes.
- The "Base" Offense: Coordinators hide their best plays so they don't give opponents free film.
- The Evaluation Period: The second half of these games is basically a high-stakes job interview for the practice squad.
If you’re betting on these games, you’re essentially betting on which head coach cares more about the optics of winning. Some do. Most don't. Sean McVay, for instance, famously sits his starters for the entire preseason. He couldn't care less about the final score as long as he finds one or two reliable backups.
What Really Happened with the Rest of the League?
While the Rams and Cowboys were the main event for many, the broader preseason slate has been revealing. We’re seeing a shift in how rookies are integrated. In years past, you’d hide your rookie QB. Now? Teams are throwing them into the fire immediately.
Caleb Williams in Chicago and Jayden Daniels in Washington are the stories that actually move the needle. When people ask who won the preseason game, they’re usually looking for hope. They want to see that the future is bright. The score is just a placeholder for "did my team look competent?"
Last night, the Rams looked resilient. The Cowboys looked deep, if a bit stagnant on offense. Both teams got what they needed: film. Thousands of snaps of film that will be used to cut 37 players from each roster over the next few weeks. That is the cold, hard reality of the NFL in August.
How to Actually Watch an NFL Preseason Game
If you want to sound like an expert when talking about who won the preseason game last night, stop looking at the quarterback's passer rating. Instead, watch the offensive line.
Watch the footwork of the backup tackles. See if they’re getting beaten by speed rushes on the outside. Look at the interior guards and see if they’re getting pushed back into the quarterback's lap. The "win" is in the trenches. If a team can run the ball for 4 yards a carry with their second-string line, they have a functional roster. If they can’t, they’re one injury away from a disastrous season.
Also, pay attention to the new kickoff rules. This preseason is the first time we’re seeing the "dynamic kickoff" in action. It looks weird. It feels weird. But it’s fundamentally changing the value of certain roster spots. A linebacker who can navigate that new spacing is suddenly worth a lot more than a linebacker who only plays traditional downs.
Moving Forward: What to Do With This Information
Now that you know the Rams beat the Cowboys 13-12, don't go betting your 401k on the Rams making the Super Bowl. Take the result for what it is—a successful scrimmage.
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The next step is to track the waiver wire. Over the next ten days, the players who "lost" last night by playing poorly will be looking for new jobs. Conversely, the "winners" like Jordan Whittington are about to see their names climb up fantasy football draft boards.
If you're a fan, stop worrying about the record. Start looking at the bottom of your team's roster. Look for the guys who are making plays on punt coverage. Look for the backup center who isn't botching snaps. Those are the players who will actually save your season in Week 14 when the starters are bruised and battered.
Check the injury reports this morning. That is the true final score of any preseason game. If your team’s stars are healthy, you won. Everything else is just noise.
Keep an eye on the upcoming cuts. The NFL requires teams to trim their rosters down to 53 players by the end of the month. Use the performances you saw last night to predict who stays and who goes. This is the time when careers are made or ended in the span of a single Thursday night in an empty-ish stadium.
Pay attention to the "bubble" players. Those who played the entire fourth quarter last night are the ones most at risk. If they finished strong, like the Rams' defense did, they might have just bought themselves another year in the league. That’s the real victory.