Dallas Cowboys Report Card: Did Dak Prescott's 'Texas Coast Offense' Pass The Test?
The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks 41-35 in a shootout at AT&T Stadium as coach Mike McCarthy's team now moves to 9-3 on the season.
In a game where the defense was shredded by Seattle QB Geno Smith and the Seahawks' offense for three quarters, in the fourth when stops needed to be made, Dallas coordinator Dan Quinn's unit made them seal the win.
Dak Prescott enhanced his MVP credentials with another stellar performance (29 of 41, 299 yards, three TDs, and seven rushing attempts for 23 yards) as the offense racked up 406 total yards and never punted.
"Dak's having one of the greatest seasons I've seen since I've been here," said teammate Micah Parsons said in a scrum following the game. "It's truly amazing to see the growth and where he's at. I think right now he's playing at the highest level in the NFL. Just from my standpoint what I'm seeing: Staying in the pocket, breaking sacks, making the right reads. He's just playing terrific."
So "terrific'' that ... ?
"This is the type of quarterback that's gonna win us the Super Bowl," Parsons said.
Before the game, we highlighted five keys to win for the Cowboys if they were to put to bed several narratives and keep pushing toward that elusive dream. So, what are our grades?
1. Winning on third down: PASS (sort of) In the first half, the Cowboys offense converted 7/10 and would finish the game going 8/14 on third down as the offense didn't punt at all.
But the defense simply couldn't stop Seattle on third down. The Seahawks were 5 of 6 in the first half, and that efficiency continued in the second half as Seattle converted 9 of 14 for the game.
Quinn's unit got beaten up badly here for all too long ... but when they needed to make something happen in the fourth quarter, they had two fourth-down stops that were crucial in swinging the game back Dallas' way.
2. Generate turnovers: PASS Who else but DaRon Bland with another interception? Bland jumped a Tyler Lockett route and snagged his seventh interception of the year late in the third quarter.
Unfortunately, the offense couldn't capitalize, but Dallas won the turnover battle ... just barely.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys squeaked past the Seahawks 41-35 at AT&T Stadium.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
3. Get the rushing attack rolling: BIG PASS While it wasn't Tony Pollard's best game (20 carries, 69 yards, one TD), he picked up yards when he needed to (a 16-yard run helped set up a touchdown in the fourth quarter).
Prescott (seven runs, 23 yards) and CeeDee Lamb (two carries, 30 yards) also did their bit to keep the running game going. The ground game looks far better when Pollard can pick up decent yards - including tough yards, which he did here.
4. Limit turnovers: BIG PASS Who else remembers the "Turnovers are in Dak's DNA" crowd? Prescott had another clean game, as in the last six games, Dak has only two interceptions.
Prescott did his MVP consideration no harm as he was again superb with a 115.8 rating.
He was in total command, and aside from one throw to Michael Gallup that a Seahawks defender got his hand on, Dak didn't even look close to getting picked off.
Yes. He looks like "a Super Bowl quarterback.'' Not to mention being Aaron Rodgers' favorite quarterback.
5. Convert in the redzone: PASS The Cowboys went 4 of 8 in the red zone vs. the Seahawks, and while it wasn't the 78-percent conversion of the last three games, the Cowboys and Dak did enough to score touchdowns when they needed them (hello, Jake Ferguson late in the fourth quarter).
Overall, the Cowboys get a big passing grade for putting the "only beating up bad teams and losing to the good ones" narrative to bed. ... Although, with Seattle now at 6-6 on the season and on a three-game losing streak, we imagine that for some, the goalposts will again be moved.
But for us, as with Dak and Micah, who wasted little time late Thursday before thinking about next week? Onto Philadelphia.
