Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys: Full Dallas Game Preview
Rarely do fans of an NFL team with a 2-4 record through its first six games find themselves full of hope and with plenty of plausible scenarios that would result in a playoff berth.
After falling to the New York Giants in Week 7, the Dallas Cowboys are losers of four straight and will be without quarterback Tony Romo for at least another three games. But with a 2-1 record against division opponents combined with the struggles of the other NFC East teams, the Cowboys find themselves in position to be optimistic.
The first step to turning those scenarios into reality is to get win No. 3 this Sunday afternoon when the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks pay a visit to AT&T Stadium.
News and Notes
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Dez Watch
The single biggest story revolving around this week is once again whether or not the fractured bone in Dez Bryant’s foot has fully healed, which would allow him to return to practice on either Wednesday or Thursday with the goal of playing Sunday afternoon against the Giants.
CowboysHQ.com has detailed the “plan” for Bryant to be healed six weeks after the surgery and be back on the field in less than eight weeks.
After a week full of speculation as to his playing status leading up to the Giants game, Bryant didn’t join the team on its Friday flight to New York, but he did fly in on Saturday to support his team despite being ruled out.
Now that the Cowboys are preparing for the matchup with the Seahawks, Bryant joined his teammates on the practice field Wednesday with eyes toward the "target to play this weekend," as told by Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president.
McFadden at the Head of the Committee
After rushing 29 times for 152 yards and a touchdown against the Giants, veteran Darren McFadden has displaced Joseph Randle as the starter at running back, per Desmond Purnell of NFL Network. After Randle gained 24 yards on two carries on the Cowboys’ first offensive possession, he went down with an injury, and McFadden got the opportunity to take the lead role.
Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan called the running game in a significantly different fashion than he had in the first five weeks, calling far fewer of the team's bread-and-butter outside-zone plays than a typical game, likely to better suit McFadden’s straight-line style of running.
Linehan’s calls, combined with the best four quarters the vaunted Dallas offensive line has played in 2015, resulted in a momentum-carrying run game not seen since DeMarco Murray was carrying the ball in 2014.
Latest Injury News
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| Player | Position | Injury | Wednesday Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dez Bryant | WR | Foot | Limited Participant |
| Brice Butler | WR | Hamstring | Limited Participant |
| Barry Church | S | Ankle | Did Not Participate |
| James Hanna | TE | Ankle | Full Participant |
| DeMarcus Lawrence | DE | Back | Did Not Participate |
| Joseph Randle | RB | Back | Did Not Participate |
All injury information courtesy of DallasCowboys.com.
Notes
Again, the big news on the injury front is—and will continue to be—Bryant. The fact that he was able to practice Wednesday, even on a limited basis, points to a significant possibility that without any setbacks, he will make his return to the field against Seattle.
The other two big stories here are DeMarcus Lawrence and Randle sitting out Wednesday’s practice with back injuries.
The statuses of Lawrence and Randle will be worth monitoring through the course of the week. If they are able to ramp up to at least a limited practice on Friday, they should have a chance to play Sunday.
X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Dez Bryant vs. Richard Sherman
Assuming Bryant suits up on Sunday, there really isn’t another option for the premier matchup in the game. Bryant is one of the top three to five wide receivers in all of football, and Sherman sits comfortably in the same rarefied air among NFL cornerbacks. If Bryant is close to full strength, this matchup will fall somewhere between a heavyweight prize fight and a backyard brawl.
The Seahawks have been moving Sherman around to match up with opponents’ No. 1 receiving options more in 2015 than in prior seasons, meaning he will line up across from Bryant on an even more regular basis.
Cowboys X-factor of the Week: Rolando McClain
Last year’s victory over the Seahawks was probably Rolando McClain’s best game as a Cowboy. His stat line (four total tackles and an interception) doesn’t accurately reflect the impact his physical style of play had on that game.
If the Cowboys are going to have a chance to win, they are going to have to force the Seahawks into passing situations where the Cowboys’ pass rush can take advantage of the shortcomings in pass protection that exist all across the Seattle offensive line. In order to do that, they will have to slow down Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks’ running game. Few players in the NFL have the ability to match Lynch’s physicality and athleticism, but McClain happens to be one of them.
After a disappointing performance against the Giants in his second game of 2015, McClain will need to bounce back and have a big game against Seattle to give the Cowboys a chance to win.
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Prediction
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Each of these two teams has demonstrated a high level of inconsistency through the 2015 season, which makes it difficult to predict the outcome of the game.
The Cowboys defense will be on a mission to generate takeaways after failing to do so for four consecutive games, and the front four’s ability to generate pressure against a porous offensive line like Seattle’s could be just what the doctor (er, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli) ordered to get some turnovers.
If the Cowboys can win the turnover battle and run the ball successfully enough to keep Matt Cassel from being forced to carry the offense, Dallas can come away with a victory.
Prediction: Cowboys 20, Seahawks 16
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