Cowboys vs. Rams: Tickets, Time, TV Schedule and Live Stream for 2016 Preseason

The NFL returns to Los Angeles on Saturday night when the Rams come back to California to take on the Dallas Cowboys.

It's only preseason action, but a city clamoring for football will get a low-stakes taste after waiting over 20 years. They should also see their first glimpse of No. 1 pick Jared Goff, the homegrown quarterback representing a fresh start for an organization desperately needing an offensive spark.

While waiting for their new stadium in Inglewood, the relocated franchise will dust off the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which previously hosted the Rams and Oakland Raiders at different times. 

This game means a tad more than the typical exhibition contest.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Rams

When: Saturday, August 13 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Preview

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press/Associated Press

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has not supervised a winning team since 2008. Twelve of his 20 full seasons at the helm have ended with six, seven or eight wins. 

Aside from some sporadic success with the Tennessee Titans, his teams are more often than not the epitome of mediocrity.

ESPN fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry offered more evidence of Fisher's middling coaching career:

Based on HBO's first episode of Hard Knocks, it appears he has heard the criticism. In a passionate plea to his team, per ESPN.com, the mustachioed general said he isn't settling for another average season.

“I am not f--king going 7-9 or 8-8 or 9-7, OK? Or 10-6 for that matter," Fisher said. "This team is too talented."

So was last year's 7-9 squad. Maintaining their status as the league's biggest enigma, the Rams blended championship upside with laughingstock lows. They swept the Seattle Seahawks and upset the Arizona Cardinals on the road, but also suffered five straight losses to spoil a 4-3 start.

They have a star rusher in Todd Gurley who garnered 1,106 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns after making his NFL debut in Week 3. On the other side, Aaron Donald blossomed into one of the league's most dangerous defenders.

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press/Associated Press

None of that matters if they can't throw the ball. The Rams finished at the very bottom in passing yards (2,805), completion percentage (57.7), passing touchdowns (11) and yards per pass attempt (6.2) last season. Not even Gurley can carry such an anemic aerial game to glory.

That's why they traded up to draft Goff. It's not fair to burden the rookie with saving the franchise, but this isn't the typical situation for a top pick. The Rams aren't a mess no passer could realistically help. They're a good quarterback away from finally getting over the hump.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, attendees can arrive fashionably late to Saturday's opener without missing Goff's preseason debut:

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Case Keenum also has a strong possibility of starting the season under center, but Goff could still win the job:

Keenum, who recorded 828 passing yards and 6.6 yards per pass attempt in five games last season, has 7-9 written all over him. He started when the Rams beat the Seahawks in Seattle, but collecting 103 yards as the defense scores on one of three turnovers generated isn't a sustainable formula.

If the Rams have any chance of meeting Fisher's mission of 11 or more victories, they will need Goff to run away with the job and produce better than anyone can expect from a neophyte. With so much on the line in Hollywood, the Cowboys can go one weekend without hogging the spotlight.

Healthy returns from Tony Romo and Dez Bryant can propel Dallas back into the NFC East picture, but viewers shouldn't anticipate either playing much, if at all, on Saturday. Per the Star-Telegram's Clarence E. Hill Jr., rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is unlikely to suit up due to hamstring tightness.

Gus Ruelas/Associated Press/Associated Press

As the Cowboys learned last year, star power isn't everything. Few teams could withstand the onslaught of significant injuries they faced in 2015, but building more depth can help avoid calamity in the inevitable event of more regulars getting hurt.

This is the time for everyone else to prove they're worthy of bolstering the bottom of the roster.