Will Dak's Cowboys upset Seahawks?
DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys fly into Seattle as five-point underdogs vs. the undefeated Seahawks. Both the Cowboys (1-1) and Seahawks (2-0) are looking to build off of nail-biter, momentum-building week two victories.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has embraced the "Let Russ Cook" movement and the nine-year pro quarterback Russell Wilson is indeed slicing and dicing opposing defenses. The vulnerable Dallas secondary faces its toughest test yet in Wilson, the NFL-leader in completion percentage (82.5 percent), touchdown passes (nine), and presser rating (140). The good news is, despite being held out from Wednesday's practice, Cowboys starting cornerback Trevon Diggs is expected to play vs. Seattle.
Speaking of vulnerable, the Seahawks are dead last in total defense and 30th in yards per play allowed. In Week 1, the Falcons' Matt Ryan threw for a league-high 450 yards against the Seahawks in Atlanta, followed by New England's Cam Newton passing for 397 yards in Week 2, his highest passing total since he was a rookie. Despite adding the All-Pro Jamal Adams, once-wanna-be Cowboy, and a Texas native, the Seahawks secondary has allowed a league-high 731 yards to receivers.
The Seahawks will have their hands full with Dak Prescott, who became the only player to ever throw for over 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in the same game last Sunday. Prescott's long list of offensive weapons looks to take advantage of a Seahawks secondary that has allowed six opposing receivers to total 70-plus receiving yards in a game.
GOING BIG: Regarding big plays in the matchup, it is a case of best vs. worst... The Cowboys lead the league with 41 offensive plays of 10-plus yards and the Seahawks have allowed a league-high 47 plays of 10-plus yards.
On the flip side, don't overlook Wilson's big-play ability. On passes targeted over 20 yards downfield, Wilson has gone 3-for-4 for 110 yards and three touchdowns.
KEY TO COWBOYS VICTORY: Seattle's success lays in the hands of Wilson and his insane improvisational skills. The Cowboys must limit the amount of time Wilson has to dazzle by winning the possession battle. Avoiding turnovers and converting on third-downs is a MUST.
FLASHBACK: The last time these two teams met during the 2018-19 season, Dallas eliminated Seattle in the Wild Card Round. The 24-22 Cowboys win ended a run of nine straight victories in playoff openers for the Seahawks.
Both Prescott and Wilson are having MVP-caliber seasons, so this game could come down to a late defensive stop. The victors will gain ground in a wide-open NFC Conference and enter conversations of Super Bowl contention. The game kicks off at Century Link Field in Seattle at 3:25 p.m. CT.
THE FINAL WORD: "He's got unique ways to frustrate defenses. He's extremely, extremely hard to defend, especially in the passing game because he's got mobility and he's got the ability to not only really thrive in, I would say, a run-option type attack, whatever it may need be that day. But he's also got an uncanny ability to really be accurate with his long throws, thereby creating all the pressure in the world that a quarterback can give a defense. And that's what we're facing. He's having his best year." - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Russell Wilson.
