Cowboys keep offensive machine rolling in win over Seahawks

NFL Week 13 got underway on “Thursday Night Football” with the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Seattle Seahawks.

The Cowboys offense was clicking going into the game thanks to quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb, while cornerback DaRon Bland had developed into a pick-six machine. Seattle’s offense, meanwhile, had been having trouble; since Week 4, quarterback Geno Smith and receiver DK Metcalf had only scored one touchdown together.

Both offenses were raging in a back-and-forth game on Thursday, which resulted in a 41-35 victory for the Cowboys against the Seahawks, moving Dallas to 9-3 and Seattle to 6-6 on the season.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were aware that Thursday was a reputation-making day.

Were they the front-runners, soundly defeating inferior teams, or were they a squad capable of contending in the postseason?

The Cowboys emerged victorious in their most crucial game of the season—five games against teams without a losing record—even though the 41-35 victory over Seattle may not have provided all the answers.

With 7:04 left in the game, a defense that had been on fire for the whole of it forced a fourth-down stop (DeMarcus Lawrence). Prescott then went to work, finishing 4 of 5 throws for 35 yards, including the game’s final touchdown pass to Jake Ferguson from 12 yards out with 4:37 left. During the drive, Prescott also rushed for nine yards.

In the end, Prescott threw for 299 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. And it now sets up what the Cowboys had hoped for—a chance to force the NFC East into a contest—when they left Philadelphia on November 5th after falling to the Eagles 28–23.

The Cowboys, who have won four straight games, are 9-3, but they still need support. Even if the Eagles’ loss to the Niners on Sunday would help, the Cowboys can still make a statement by defeating Philadelphia in ten days when they visit AT&T Stadium. More important than defeating the Seahawks would be the message.

Describe the game in two words: Penalty fest. For the majority of the season, the Cowboys did not place much emphasis on penalties; nevertheless, through three quarters on Thursday, they were called eight times for 122 yards. Prior to Thursday, the season high in yards was 107 (on 13 flags) during a Week 3 defeat over the Arizona Cardinals. It extended beyond the Cowboys. The crew led by Clete Blakeman was equally formidable when against the Seahawks.

Troubling trend: Bland did make history on Thanksgiving against Washington by recording his fifth pick-six of the year, but the Commanders targeted him more than they did in any other game. It continued on Thursday.

NFL Next Gen Stats shows that in the first half, Seattle completed 6 of 7 throws for 138 yards and two scores while Bland was the closest defense. He had previously set a season-best of 120 yards in that category against Washington last week. To maybe offset it all, Bland made a crucial selection of Smith in the third quarter.

Promising trend: Prescott has thrown at least two touchdown passes in six straight games, tying a career-best. Perhaps this is more than just a tendency at this juncture. He followed suit in 2021.

Don Meredith holds the team record with 12 straight games during the 1965–66 season, while Tony Romo has two or more in seven straight games during the 2006–07 season. Prescott had thrown for 18 touchdowns in his previous six games going into Thursday, which is a record for him during a six-game stretch in his career.

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