According to the cynics, as good as the Dallas Cowboys have been this year, the missing gem has been a win against a competitive team. Dallas now has one in the books with a 41-35 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
On Thursday night, the opponents who entered AT&T stadium presented that in spades for Dallas. The Seattle Seahawks came with a three-headed monster at wide receiver, a steady hand at quarterback, and an ultra-athletic defense.
Both teams are currently 2nd place in their respective divisions, even though they are two games apart in the overall NFC standings.
While Dallas is working feverishly to catch Philadelphia and the overall number 1 seed in the NFC, Seattle hopes to earn a playoff spot as a wild-card team.
This matchup was a big game for each team in different ways.
First Half
Who would have thought we would be seeing a quarterback shootout? In a way, that's precisely what we witnessed. Well, at least, partly.
While Dallas scored on their first two possessions, my article about Donovan Wilson did not age well.
DK METCALF TO THE HOUSE 🏠
pic.twitter.com/FFlOMkm14S— PFF (@PFF) December 1, 2023
DK Metcalf having over 100 yards in the first quarter is a problem, especially considering they were picking on 2nd-year player DaRon Bland.
For the entire first half, the defense never settled down.
It was a half that Bland would love to erase from his memory bank. He gave up five catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson didn't help the first one much, but Fresno State Corner gets the credit.
For God's sake, can someone tell the defensive linemen where they need to line up? Every game, the defense is flagged with an offside. It is becoming a recurring theme.
From an offensive standpoint, they held their own. Being aggressive suits this offense very well. CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Jake Ferguson all saw their fair share of targets.
If I could make one suggestion to Head Coach Mike McCarthy, keep motioning in this offense.
It sounds simple, but it has made an enormous difference for this team.
Watching CeeDee Lamb take Jamal Adams with him on a motion quickly and unequivocally signified to Dak that there was man-to-man coverage.
For every inch of momentum Dallas tried to conjure up, Seattle was right there in the first half to counter it to the point they ended the half with a 21-20 lead.
Second Half
Seattle picked up where they left off. More DK Metcalf.
They walked the field quickly with the assistance of the yellow flags. Once Dallas got the ball back for their first possession in the second half, they were also assisted with a few of the yellow handkerchiefs.
I hate to say this, but Pollard remains a non-factor in this offense.
That was until he took a 10-yard pitch to the endzone, showing fans a brief look at the TP20 that we are so accustomed to knowing.
Cowboys' 75-yard drive ends in a Tony Pollard TD to make it a one-point game.#SEAvsDAL on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/YcXzMZb8jY pic.twitter.com/d9hTcb0lQK— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2023
For all the good they've done in this game, Seattle may have taken too many chances. Geno Smith has made this throw repeatedly, but not against a guy who loves to undercut a route.
DaRon Bland gets his chunk of flesh with his 8th interception, putting the offense in a favorable field position.
That field position mattered for a few minutes as Dallas turned it over on downs, giving up their chance of getting points and reclaiming the lead.
On the other hand, the Seahawks knew just what to do at the top of the fourth quarter. Metcalf has the hot hand, and Smith is continuing to feed him. The one thing that I have noticed in this game is that Seattle's defense is so much more aggressive than Dallas's.
Micah Parsons made a few plays in the run game and a few pressures, but otherwise, it has been neutralized.
Part of that is because the defense is predicated on playing with a lead. Once they turn offenses 1-dimensional, the pass rush can have its way. That has not been the case today.
The play that may have swung the game
Seattle had the Cowboys' defense reeling late in the fourth quarter. In a daring attempt to be aggressive, a slowly developing zone run on the left side went nowhere for Zach Charbonnet, giving the ball back to the Cowboys in plus-field position.
It didn't help that they ran against Dallas' number-one run defender Demarcus Lawrence.
Most of the pressure now fell on the shoulders of Dak Prescott. The offense continues to chip away at the lead, but there's a hill to climb with the defense being off their game.
Oh, and how everything can come full circle.
All the jawing, back and forth between Jamal Adams (who happened to have wanted to be a Cowboy at one point) and Jake Ferguson permeated into the go-ahead touchdown.
Jake Ferguson is the real deal.
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/ytFfoOo7Uw
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) December 1, 2023
Could the Dallas defense make one last stop? That was the million-dollar question.
You might have made some money if you bet on the defense showing up. Right when the doctor ordered, the reason showed up not once but twice, with two crucial stops on 4th and four and 4th and 2.
Remember when I said Parsons' name wasn't being called? I stand corrected. It was his final pressure that put the bow on this game.
They are now 9-3, with Philadelphia coming to the metroplex on December 10.
It should be a good one.
