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Dallas has won 14 straight home games since the beginning of the previous season.
Week 13 got off to an amazing start as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks 41-35 to maintain their home winning streak. Dallas now has 14 straight wins and is just four wins away from tying the current franchise record of 18 straight home victories.
With a total of zero punts, this was the highest scoring “Thursday Night Football” match of the year. Only the fifth NFL game in history has gone without a single punt. Moreover, there were an astounding 19 penalties in this game. The 257 total penalty yards that the Cowboys and Seahawks combined for during the game are a season high.
Dak Prescott added 299 passing yards and three touchdowns to strengthen his MVP case. During the last six games, he has now thrown 20 passing touchdowns, the most in a six-game span in franchise history. Prescott’s go-to receiver once more was CeeDee Lamb, who caught 12 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown. In addition, Tony Pollard gained 68 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while Jake Ferguson and Brandin Cooks also scored touchdowns.
In spite of the loss, the Seahawks’ offensive production was outstanding. Newcomer Jaxon Smith-Njigba added 62 yards on seven receptions, while DK Metcalf hauled in six passes for an incredible 134 yards and three touchdowns. With 1:43 left in the fourth quarter, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had a chance to lead his team to victory, but he was unable to move the sticks on a fourth-and-2 play at the 50-yard line. With 334 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, he completed 23 of 41 passes.
Let’s examine what transpired on Thursday night in Dallas.
The rationale behind the Cowboys’ victory
Before the Seahawks arrived, the Cowboys had not trailed at home during the entire season. In actuality, Dallas was behind 21–20 at the break. Prescott and company responded each time they were called upon, even though the defense found it difficult at times to stop the Seahawks, who, like the Cowboys, did not punt during the entire game.
Not including kneeldowns, Dallas scored on eight of its nine possessions; the only “miss” came from a Lamb drop on a fourth-and-2 late in the third quarter. The Cowboys won the battle of possession time, went 8 of 14 on third downs, did not turn the ball over, and amassed 411 yards of total offense. With three passing touchdowns, Prescott was outstanding. His play over the last few weeks has put him squarely in the MVP conversation.
The reason behind the Seahawks’ defeat
Though their lone stop came on a fourth-down Lamb drop, you could blame the Seahawks defense for failing to contain the Cowboys the entire game. Still, Seattle held Dallas to 4 of 8 in the red zone. In actuality, the Seahawks offense turned the ball over on downs three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter, despite their overall strong performance.
Seven minutes remained in the game, and the Seahawks chose to pass the ball to Zach Charbonnet, who was stopped for no gain, on a fourth-and-1 from the Cowboys’ 46-yard line rather than go for a QB sneak or “tush push”. After that, the Cowboys went 54 yards in seven plays, and a touchdown from Ferguson gave them the lead. The Seahawks tried to convert a fourth-and-4 from their own 49-yard line on their subsequent drive. Due to a misunderstanding with Smith-Njigba, Smith’s pass attempt was unsuccessful. The Cowboys then increased their lead with a 32-yard field goal.
On their last drive, the Seahawks left their star pass rusher, Micah Parsons, unblocked off the edge for a fourth-and-two. The game was over after that.
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Crucial Moment
With less than five minutes remaining in the second half, the Cowboys took the lead, which they held for the better part of the first half. Ferguson, who outplayed Jamal Adams in one-on-one coverage to score a 12-yard touchdown, changed the score.
You could sense the momentum changing after the Cowboys defense forced the Seahawks to turn the ball over on downs on the previous drive.
The Game Being Played
The Seahawks’ third play from scrimmage saw Smith find Metcalf in the middle of the field with a perfect pass, and Metcalf raced past DaRon Bland for a 73-yard touchdown:
Metcalf’s peak speed on this touchdown reception was 22.23 mph, according to Next Gen Stats. Since Week 2 of 2020, this is the fastest speed a ball carrier has ever recorded.
In fact, Metcalf’s 107 first-quarter receiving yards against the Cowboys were the most since Randy Moss’s memorable three-catch, 163-yard, three-TD performance on Thanksgiving in 1998. Since 1991, Jerry Rice is the only player with more first-quarter receiving yards (129) against Dallas. That was in 1995.
Next Up
The San Francisco 49ers, who defeated Seattle by 18 points on Thanksgiving, will host the Seahawks on the road again the following week when they travel to California. The Cowboys will host Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles from home.
