INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Oh positive, the Cowboys wished to win. Anytime you play, and no matter you play, you wish to win.

However Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy did not make {that a} excessive precedence right here Sunday afternoon and SoFi Stadium when the Rams rallied with 4 seconds remaining to nail down a 13-12 victory in preseason sport No. 1.

Look, begin with the Cowboys suiting up 66 gamers, that means 25 guys didn’t play, together with almost all of the veteran starters and people lacking with minor accidents. Title a starter that involves thoughts, any of them, wager the man did not play.

Then there was eschewing potential discipline objectives to go for it 5 instances on fourth down, choosing up simply two, not as gambles, however giving McCarthy’s offense additional alternatives to run performs. And this included a fourth-and-1 on the 3-yard line in a 3-3 sport with 9 seconds left within the first quarter that did not fairly work out. Or how about, with a what-the-heck strategy, sending Brandon Aubrey out for a 65-yard discipline objective. Hey, it is preseason.

All this, together with enjoying Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush solely the six snaps of the primary offensive sequence of the sport earlier than turning the reins over to the inexperienced Trey Lance, who was getting his first sport snaps of any sort with the Cowboys. That was the plan.

And that may have been essentially the most important accomplishment on this sport since of the 70 instances the Cowboys snapped the ball, Lance took 64 for them. Maybe the following of these accomplishments was McCarthy enjoying each single participant with pads on, to the purpose needed to test myself on a few numbers, like No. 43 being linebacker Kamen Corridor, whose title did not even make the numerical checklist on the flip card, No. 33 being linebacker Julius Wooden and No. 39 being security Emany Johnson.

Now, some highlights included the Cowboys protection intercepting first-year quarterback Stetson Bennett 4 instances with a fifth that will have sealed the sport with 1:39 left besides the Cowboys, main 12-6, had the decide nullified for defensive holding nowhere close to the place the move was thrown. Why, the protection stymied the Rams offensive backups, holding them to simply 246 complete yards till giving up these 70 and the go-ahead landing throughout the game-winning drive.

But, let’s not lose sight of simply what was the primary precedence on this sport, and actually the following two as properly: Giving Lance sufficient snaps to make the educated evaluation they need to after buying and selling for him proper earlier than the beginning of the 2023 season since San Francisco’s former first-round decide is getting into the ultimate 12 months of his rookie contract. So not solely needing to decide for the brief time period, however expressly for the long run, too.

Simply who is that this 24-year-old quarterback?

Thought of that field checked on this first preseason sport, Lance throwing 41 passes. When requested if he remembered the final time he threw that many passes in a single sport, he informed me, “Not too many instances.”

Properly, not throughout his earlier three NFL seasons, preseason or common season. Verify this out: In six video games throughout his rookie season with the Niners, Lance solely tried 71 passes mixed, and by no means greater than 29 in a sport. Throughout the preseason that 12 months, he had simply 41 in three video games. And in his injury-shortened 2022 marketing campaign, he had solely 5 in his one preseason sport and simply 31 in his two regular-season video games earlier than breaking a bone in his ankle.

And if we return to his faculty profession at North Dakota State, Lance by no means tried greater than 31 passes in any of his 19 video games. That is it, a really inexperienced quarterback who the 49ers chosen third total in 2021 NFL Draft. And guessing since he was thought-about a dual-threat quarterback at Marshall (Minn.) Excessive College and was being recruited as a large receiver earlier than signing with NDSU, he wasn’t being requested to throw 41 passes in a sport, making an attempt solely 420 throughout his highschool profession.

Additionally take into account this: Not since Sept. 18, 2022, has Lance performed in an actual regular-season sport, and never since Aug. 19, 2023, had he performed in any sport till this preseason outing with the Cowboys. It is a very inexperienced quarterback. Hey, no less than he didn’t throw 4 interceptions because the Rams’ No. 3 did.

So, come on, let’s be affordable. Let’s not turn into too crucial of his efficiency towards LA on Sunday, finishing 25 of 41 passes for simply 188 yards, no touchdowns but additionally no interceptions, for a QB ranking of 72.0. Simply hasn’t performed that a lot quarterback throughout his whole soccer profession, and doubtless would have finished himself an enormous favor if he had performed one other season for the Bisons.

“These 40 passes can pay dividends,” McCarthy stated, and would go on to level out, “There are issues we have to work on. … He wants work, wants as a lot time as we may give him.”

Lance’s efficiency Sunday kind of mimicked what we have been watching in coaching camp. When he misses, he usually is lacking excessive. At instances he holds the ball too lengthy or stares down his receivers, inflicting me to shake my head. However at different instances, he drops dimes. And as he did on his remaining drive, hitting his again foot and firing darts, having accomplished passes throughout that sequence for 12, 12, 26 and 6 yards, resulting in kicker Brandon Aubrey’s fourth discipline objective and a 12-6 Cowboys lead.

Leaving me considering, OK, possibly there’s something there to unearth with a little bit extra work with this man. And as Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones stated in his pregame section on Countdown To Kickoff, “We simply have to see him within the pocket.” And so they did.

Let’s additionally bear in mind, Lance was enjoying with second- and third-team offensive linemen in addition to largely huge receivers and tight ends prone to find yourself on the follow squad.

“I feel I left some performs on the market for positive, throughout the board from the primary quarter to the fourth,” Lance stated of his self-critique. “Once we get the ball these 4 additional possessions (interceptions) and do not get touchdowns, that is not an excellent factor.

“I will be taught a ton from it. I will be taught from the tape. We wish to rating touchdowns for positive.”

Certain, they do. However with a sport of any sort now beneath his Cowboys helmet, cannot anticipate preseason sport No. 2.