Cowboys vs. Seahawks: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season

In the first half, the Seattle Seahawks appeared to be coasting to another routine romp at CenturyLink Field on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys stormed back to take a halftime lead, gave it away in the third quarter, but went on a season-defining drive late in the game to win one of Week 6's marquee matchups, 30-23.      

How 'bout them Cowboys, indeed.

NFL Network's Rich Eisen commented on the intensity Sunday's showdown facilitated:

SportsCenter noted how rare it is for the reigning Super Bowl champions to lose on their home turf:

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided his take on the disparity between the two teams:

After the Seahawks scored a field goal on their opening possession, a blocked punt resulted in Seattle special-teamer Mike Morgan taking it 25 yards to the house. That gave the home team a big 10-0 edge with 7:13 left in the first quarter.

Spurred by a stalwart offensive line, America's Team was undeterred despite a tough start.

A bold commitment to keep feeding the NFL's leading rusher in DeMarco Murray proved fruitful by the end. The star ball-carrier continued his run of 100-yard games with 115 on 29 carries, including the winning 15-yard touchdown with 3:16 on the game clock.

The NFL on ESPN accentuated the significance of Murray's hot start to the year:

Vic Lombardi of CBS4 weighed in:

Before the game, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo remarked about how leaning on the run was vital to winning in such a hostile environment, per The Dallas Morning News' David Moore:

"

I think you've got to be able to run the ball. You have to stay committed to what your plan was going in and I think we want to do some different things. You might win this game throwing for 150 yards. That might be one of the best ways to beat this team, but it requires a certain way of going about it and we’ll see as the game unfolds.

"

Between Murray and Joseph Randle, the Cowboys established enough of a ground foundation for Romo to attack the vaunted "Legion of Boom" secondary.

Ed Werder of ESPN praised the way Romo handled adversity after guiding the Cowboys to their first touchdown drive of the day:

Romo did his scoring-area damage by hitting tight ends Gavin Escobar and Jason Witten on touchdown passes, with the latter to Witten coming just 16 seconds before the midway intermission.

That also marked a big milestone for Witten, per the Cowboys' official Twitter account:

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted how Romo lit it up in critical situations:

But things began to turn the other way when Dwayne Harris muffed a punt midway through the third quarter, leading to a nine-yard TD scamper by Seahawks signal-caller Russell Wilson to even the score at 17.

Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News criticized Harris' blunder:

Romo then fumbled the ball away on a dropped shotgun snap, resulting in a field goal that put Seattle back on top with 3:20 remaining in the third.

Dan Bailey's clutch 56-yard kick tied things up at 20 just before the final quarter, setting the scene for a magnificent final 15 minutes of action.

Wilson and the Seahawks offense were largely limited by a Dallas defense that caught a lot of flack before the season. Former NFL executive Joe Banner lauded the Cowboys' efforts, particularly those of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli:

Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar pointed to another potential factor to explain Seattle's lack of production, specifically through the air:

Field position tilted in Seattle's favor in the fourth, leading to a 48-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka to put the Seahawks back on top with 8:16 to go in the game.

The improvisational magic Wilson has been known to generate was lost amid a sensational 3rd-and-20 conversion on a Romo pass to Terrance Williams. That play held up on review to keep the drive alive, as the Cowboys tried to answer.

Murray broke off his best run of the game thereafter and capped the possession off with a 15-yard rumble to paydirt. Although Seattle had a final possession with just over a minute left, Rolando McClain intercepted Wilson's pass intended for Luke Willson, clinching the huge upset.

NFL.com's Chris Wesseling mentioned the Dallas linebacker as a potential superlative candidate:

The Cowboys truly look like an offensive juggernaut and were able to get physical with one of the most hard-nosed teams in the league in a tough environment. The big men up front can blow just about any opposing line off the ball, which will be invaluable for the remainder of the year.

Their 5-1 record holds far more significance after getting a win in Seattle, but Dallas has to gear up for an NFC East clash at home with the New York Giants in Week 7. It could be difficult to get back up for that contest, even against a rival, after the physical toll the Seahawks game will have taken on them.

It's no time to panic for Seahawks fans, if only because the St. Louis Rams are on deck. That will be a heated NFC West battle, yet Seattle should be able to get Marshawn Lynch going more in that one. Lynch had just 10 carries and 61 yards in Week 6, so the game plan should revolve around feeding "Beast Mode" to get the Seahawks back on track.