Cowboys' Phil Mafah Stock Rises As Rookie 'Upholds Standard' In Preseason Loss vs. Rams

We knew that we would see a healthy dose of running back Phil Mafah for the Dallas Cowboys against the Los Angeles Rams in the first preseason game at SoFi Stadium, and we got it.

Due to the injuries at the position, Mafah would end the 31-21 loss with 36 yards on 10 carries, plus he had two big runs brought back due to penalties. When it comes to players who saw their stock rise at SoFi, Mafah, to our eyes, was the big winner here.

"Just because guys can’t play doesn’t mean the standard changes, so I just want to uphold that standard," Mafah said earlier in the week.

And he did.

The brutal running style was on show, so was his ability to fall forward for extra yards, as his stock was clearly raised with the snaps he got.

Now the big thing for Mafah is to simply continue what he's been doing in practice and in games because we get the sense he will see significant game time against the Baltimore Ravens to further solidify his roster spot, which might have been locked in in L.A.

His vision to weave in and out of traffic on one big run that was called back shows that Mafah has the sort of traits Brian Schottenheimer wants in his running backs.

While we aren't sure if Phil's performance against the Rams moves the needle for the Cowboys coaching staff, but for us it does.

Granted, we want to see more as the weeks go on, but the big winner of the day was Mafah, who, when given his opportunity, took it with both hands.