Cowboys vs. Rams live score, updates, highlights from NFL’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ game

The Rams made a series of crucial defensive plays Sunday night to hang onto a season-opening 20-17 win over the Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.

But a controversial offensive pass interference call on Dallas receiver Michael Gallup, who had beat Jalen Ramsey deep to make a leaping catch, might have been the most impactful stop of the night. Instead of having a shot at a game-tying field goal in the closing seconds, the Cowboys were forced into a fourth-and-20 heave that fell incomplete.

There was certainly contact leading to the flag against Gallup, but it was light enough for the Cowboys to feel wronged.

“Just watching it live, it looked like two guys hand-fighting,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after the game. “I thought it was well-executed. I was surprised there was a call there either way. Obviously disappointed in the call, particularly at that point in the game. I thought they let both teams play tonight and you just don’t usually see that, particularly in a critical point in the game.”

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Ramsey also had a hand in how the previous Dallas drive ended. He rocked Amari Cooper on third down, dislodging the ball, to get his defense off the field. That helped the Rams run down the clock before the Cowboys’ last possession.

Ramsey, of course, recently signed a contract extension that made him the highest paid cornerback in NFL history.

Los Angeles would have had itself to blame if it blew its fourth-quarter lead. The team moved the ball well most of the night, finishing with 422 total yards, but faltered several times in the red zone. Twice in the early going it had the chance to create distance from Dallas. One of those stalled drives resulted in a missed 29-yard field goal attempt, while the other led to a successful 31-yard kick.

The victory allows coach Sean McVay to celebrate the array of positive moments when his team wasn’t wasting opportunities. All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald wreaked havoc, Malcolm Brown provided unexpected punch out of the backfield in place of departed star Todd Gurley and Jared Goff executed his play-action scheme well.

Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Cowboys vs. Rams on “Sunday Night Football.” Follow for complete results from the NFL Week 1 game.

Cowboys vs. Rams final score   Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final  Cowboys 0 14 3 0 17 Rams 7 3 7 0 20 Cowboys vs. Rams results, highlights from Sunday Night Football

11:18 p.m.: Final: Rams 20, Cowboys 17.

11:17 p.m.: Prescott throws a pass nowhere near a receiver. Game over.

11:16 p.m.: Fourth-and-20 upcoming for the Cowboys with 13 seconds left. Prayer time.

11:15 p.m.: Wow. Prescott hits Gallup on a deep pass over Ramsey, but Gallup gets tagged with offensive pass interference. Questionable call even if there was some contact.

11:14 p.m.: Prescott picks up 12 on third down, and Elliott moves the chains on fourth-and-1.

11:13 p.m.: Leonard Floyd sacks Prescott to set up third-and-13.

11:09 p.m.: Two-minute warning. Dallas has the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead.

11:07 p.m.: On third-and-short with 3:18 remaining, the Cowboys track down Malcolm Brown short of the marker. Los Angeles tried to catch the Cowboys with a sweep play.

11:05 p.m.: The Rams are milking the clock now. The clock runs under 3:30 and Dallas uses its first timeout.

11 p.m.: Jalen Ramsey nails Amari Cooper on a third-down pass and dislodges the ball in the process. Huge play for the recently extended cornerback.

10:56 p.m.: The Cowboys get the ball backed up in their own territory with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.

10:55 p.m.: Aldon Smith sacks Goff on third-and-10. Doesn’t look like a guy who hadn’t played for five years.

10:52 p.m.: Malcolm Brown is making a real case he should be the top running back for the Rams for the foreseeable future. He has 92 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

10:46 p.m.: Los Angeles stuffs Dallas on fourth-and-3 from the LA 11. The Cowboys tried a crossing route for CeeDee Lamb, but Lamb was blasted well short of the first down line.

End of third quarter: Rams 20, Cowboys 17

10:37 p.m.: The Rams punt the ball away after an ineffective drive. It seems as if Dallas is growing in confidence on the defensive side of the ball.

10:34 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, Cowboys. Dallas turns its takeaway into points. 20-17, Los Angeles.

10:26 p.m.: Interception. Dallas finally shows heavy blitz on consecutive plays and frazzles Goff into a pick. The Cowboys needed that kind of pressure.

10:22 p.m.: The Cowboys are forced into their second punt of the third quarter.

10:17 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, Rams. Malcolm Brown records his second score of the night to put his team ahead. 20-14, Los Angeles.

10:05 p.m.: Michael Brockers sacks Prescott on third down to force a Dallas punt.

10 p.m.: The second half is underway. Dallas gets the ball first.

Halftime: Cowboys 14, Rams 13

9:44 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, Cowboys. No doubt about that one. Elliott powers up the middle from the 1 and has no problem finding the end zone. 14-13, Dallas.

9:40 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, Cowboys (negated by review). The ruling on the field is a Prescott rushing touchdown, but it looks like he was down at the 1. UPDATE: Prescott was indeed short.

9:34 p.m.: Cooper, Lamb and Gallup each have catches on this Dallas hurry up drive. Looks like the Cowboys are going to get at least a field goal attempt before halftime.

9:31 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, Rams. On the other side of the two-minute warning, Sloman converts a 31-yard field goal attempt. 13-7, Los Angeles.

9:21 p.m.: No good. Former Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein misses a 51-yard effort for Dallas.

9:12 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, Rams.  Man, the Rams are wasting their scoring opportunities. They settle for three points after easily driving into the red zone. They should have far more points considering they’re already over 200 yards.  10-7, Los Angeles.

9:11 p.m.: Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch has been ruled out with a collarbone injury.

9:08 p.m.: The Cowboys are completely lost on defense right now. They aren’t stopping the run or pass. Los Angeles is inside the Dallas 25.

9:01 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, Cowboys (confirmed by review). Elliott catches a screen pass and pushes his way into the end zone. This game seems like it might become high-scoring in a hurry. 7-7.

8:59 p.m.:  CeeDee Lamb reels in his first career reception, and it’s for a big gain. Dallas is now in the red zone.

End of first quarter: Rams 7, Cowboys 0

8:50 p.m.: No good. Rams kicker Samuel Sloman misses a 29-yard chip shot after another long Los Angeles drive. Cowboys should feel fortunate to only be down one score right now.

8:44 p.m.: Brown converts a fourth-and-1 run up the gut.

8:43 p.m.: Malcolm Brown takes the ball past midfield. He’s been a more effective running back than Cam Akers in the first quarter.

8:36 p.m.: As he often does, Aaron Donald ruins an opposing drive with his first sack of the season. Cowboys are forced to punt.

8:30 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, Rams. Malcolm Brown punches it in. 7-0, Los Angeles.

8:26 p.m.: Robert Woods gets the Rams on the move with this catch.

8:22 p.m.: We’re underway. Welcome back to the joy of Sunday Night Football. Rams get the ball first.

Cowboys vs. Rams start time

NFL schedule Week 1

Here’s the full schedule for Week 1 of the NFL season, plus final scores and how to watch every game live.

Note: National broadcasts are listed in bold.

Thursday, Sept. 10 Game Time (ET) TV channel Texans at Chiefs 8:20 p.m. NBC, fuboTV Sunday, Sept. 13 Game Time (ET) TV channel Eagles at Washington 1 p.m. Fox, fuboTV Dolphins at Patriots 1 p.m. CBS, fuboTV Packers at Vikings 1 p.m. Fox, fuboTV Colts at Jaguars 1 p.m. CBS, fuboTV Bears at Lions 1 p.m. Fox, fuboTV Raiders at Panthers 1 p.m. CBS, fuboTV Jets at Bills 1 p.m. CBS, fuboTV Browns at Ravens 1 p.m. CBS, fuboTV Seahawks at Falcons 1 p.m. Fox, fuboTV Chargers at Bengals 4:05 p.m. CBS, fuboTV Cardinals at 49ers 4:25 p.m. Fox, fuboTV Buccaneers at Saints 4:25 p.m. Fox, fuboTV Cowboys at Rams 8:20 p.m. NBC, fuboTV Monday, Sept. 14 Game Time (ET) TV channel Steelers at Giants 7:10 p.m. ESPN, fuboTV Titans at Broncos 10:20 p.m. ESPN, fuboTV