Cowboys retain offensive gadget rolling in win over Seahawks

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys hosted the Seattle Seahawks on “Thursday Night Football” to obvious the NFL’s Moment 13.

Heading into the competition, quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb had the Cowboys’ offense buzzing, date cornerback DaRon Bland had develop into a pick-six gadget. In the meantime, Seattle’s offense were suffering, as quarterback Geno Smith and receiver DK Metcalf had hooked up for one landing since Moment 4.

On Thursday, each offenses had been churning in a back-and-forth affair that ended with the Cowboys beating the Seahawks 41-35, pushing Dallas to 9-3 and losing Seattle to 6-6 at the season.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys knew reputations had been at the order Thursday.

Had been they front-runners, beating sinister groups badly, or had been they a group able to creating a playoff run?

The 41-35 win towards Seattle may now not have responded all the questions, but if it mattered maximum the Cowboys got here thru, as they began their maximum tough stretch of the season with 5 video games towards groups with out a dropping document.

A protection that used to be lit up for lots of the competition got here up with a fourth-down cancel (DeMarcus Lawrence) with 7:04 residue and Prescott going to paintings, finishing 4 of five passes for 35 yards, together with the general go-ahead landing go to Jake Ferguson from 12 yards out with 4:37 to play games. Prescott additionally ran for 9 yards at the power.

Prescott completed with 3 landing passes and incorrect interceptions, throwing for 299 yards. And now it units up what the Cowboys had was hoping for after they left Philadelphia on Nov. 5 with a 28-23 loss to the Eagles: a prospect to produce the NFC East a competition.

At 9-3 then their fourth immediately win, the Cowboys nonetheless want assistance. They may virtue San Francisco beating the Eagles Sunday, but if Philadelphia involves AT&T Stadium in 10 days, the Cowboys can nonetheless ship a message via beating their rival. A message that will be larger than beating the Seahawks.

Describe the sport in two phrases: Penalty fest. Consequences weren’t that that weighty of a trade in for the Cowboys for a batch of the season, however thru 3 quarters Thursday, they had been flagged 8 instances for 122 yards. The season prime in yards earlier than Thursday used to be 107 (on 13 flags) in a Moment 3 loss on the Arizona Cardinals. It wasn’t only a Cowboys factor. Clete Blakeman’s group used to be simply as officious towards the Seahawks.

Troubling pattern: Sure, Lifeless made historical past together with his 5th pick-six of the season on Thanksgiving as opposed to Washington, however he used to be focused extra via the Commanders than in any alternative competition. Thursday used to be a continuation. Within the first part, Seattle finished 6 of seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns when Lifeless used to be the then defender, in keeping with NFL After Gen Stats. The former prime in that division this season used to be 120 yards — which got here terminating year towards Washington. Alternatively, Lifeless got here up with a key third-quarter choose of Smith to steadiness all of it out, possibly.

Promising pattern: Possibly it’s past a pattern at this level, however Prescott has thrown no less than two landing passes in six immediately video games, related a profession prime. He did the similar in 2021. Tony Romo had two or extra in seven immediately video games over the 2006-07 seasons and Don Meredith owns the group mark with 12 immediately video games over the 1965-66 seasons. Prescott entered Thursday with 18 landing passes in his while six video games, essentially the most he’s had over a six-game span in his profession. — Todd Archer

After competition: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 10)

Seattle Seahawks

With back-to-back Thursday evening video games turning their weekly agenda the other way up, Seahawks gamers and coaches couldn’t retain observe of what week it used to be prominent as much as their matchup with the Cowboys. However everybody used to be sunlit on something: They needed to have this one.

With two immediately losses and 2 tricky video games arising towards the 49ers and Eagles, this used to be possibly their perfect prospect at warding off a five-game skid that will put their playoff hopes in critical jeopardy.

The sense of urgency used to be there towards Dallas. So used to be the Seahawks’ offense, which were given out of its rut due to a profusion evening from Smith and Metcalf. However the protection used to be now not, and neither used to be the outcome.

The Seahawks are actually 6-6 and best halfway during the hardest stretch in their agenda. They’ll give themselves a prospect over the general age of the common season if Smith and their offense serve as like they did for lots of the evening, going 9-of-14 on 0.33 ailing, 4-of-5 within the crimson zone and racking up 406 general yards.

However the protection may have supplanted that unit as the most important worry then Prescott & Co. did no matter they sought after en path to rankings on 8 of 9 possessions, except the general two kneel-downs.

Troubling pattern: It’s now not a unutilized pattern however a troubling one however — the Seahawks are nonetheless killing themselves with consequences. They’d been flagged 100 instances getting into Moment 13, essentially the most within the NFL, even if they’ve had their bye. They dedicated 9 extra for 127 yards towards Dallas, together with 5 on a Cowboys landing power. The Seahawks have steadily been some of the league’s maximum penalized groups underneath professor Pete Carroll, which may well be thought to be relatively of a tradeoff for the way aggressively he needs them to play games. However this model isn’t just right plenty to triumph over that many errors.

Sight-popping NFL After Gen Stat: Metcalf collision a govern velocity of twenty-two.23 mph on his 73-yard landing. That’s the quickest max velocity via a ball provider since Raheem Mostert collision 23.09 mph in Moment 2 of the 2020 season. The Smith-to-Metcalf connection has been off this season — Metcalf entered Moment 13 with a 53.1% catch price, which ranked 73rd amongst vast receivers — however they grew to become it on Thursday evening. Metcalf stuck 6 of 8 objectives for 134 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Promising pattern: The Seahawks after all have a display competition — and possibly a just right one. That a part of their offense has been inexplicably absent for a protracted occasion, relationship again to earlier coordinators and operating backs, however coordinator Shane Waldron has introduced it to date. They finished arguably their perfect display of the season when operating again Zach Charbonnet stuck one within the 0.33 quarter and received 39 yards, putting in Metcalf’s 0.33 landing catch two performs then. Charbonnet, initiation once more with Kenneth Walker III out on account of his indirect pressure, carried 19 instances for 60 yards and his first profession landing. The Seahawks have additionally gotten receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba concerned within the display competition, and so they want to proceed leaning on it to get the ball out of Smith’s arms briefly and counter the sturdy pass-rush gadgets they’ll face over the later 3 weeks (San Francisco, Philadelphia, Tennessee).

Pivotal play games: Probably the most Seahawks’ consequences may now not had been their very own doing. Past due within the first quarter, they coated up for a 37-yard farmland objective however had been flagged for extend of competition. With the struggle driven again, Jason Myers nearest neglected vast proper from 42 yards out. Replays confirmed Pete Carroll screaming at officers for now not resetting the play games clock then re-spotting the ball. Myers, to incorrect avail, gave the hand sign for a reset proper earlier than the clock ran out.

QB breakdown: Smith performed one in every of his perfect video games in a date, particularly given the cruel cases towards an skillful Dallas go snatch and now not a lot of a operating competition to incline on. He threw 3 landing passes to Metcalf — related the choice of instances Seattle’s offense had discovered the tip zone over the former 4 video games — and added a dashing ranking. Smith’s first TD used to be a laser over two defenders on a publish direction at the opening power, the kind of competitive throw that confirmed self belief regardless of the entirety that’s long gone incorrect in fresh weeks. He picked on Lifeless time and again within the first part and had good fortune doing so earlier than Lifeless picked him off within the 0.33 quarter. Smith completed 23-of-41 for 334 yards and become the primary initiation quarterback not to shoot a sack towards the Cowboys this season, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Knowledge, regardless that he used to be confused into an errant throw on a fourth-and-2 play games to finish the sport. — Brady Henderson

After competition: at San Francisco 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 10)