Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys: Key Matchups to Watch in Week 13

Officially entering playoff mode in late November, the Seattle Seahawks will look to bounce back from a pair of tough losses and improve their dwindling wild card standing as they face off with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football.

Which matchups will ultimately decide who lands a key victory in the NFC playoff race? Here are six positional battles to keep a close eye on as Seattle duels with Dallas at AT&T Stadium:

*All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.

--Seahawks tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas versus Cowboys defensive ends Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence: Coming off injured reserve after missing the previous 10 games with a knee issue, Lucas won't be afforded the opportunity to ease back into action, as he will immediately be challenged by arguably the league's best all-around pass rusher in Parsons. The former first-round pick out of Penn State already has surpassed double digit sacks and per Pro Football Focus, he leads all defenders with a whopping 71 pressures and ranks behind only Myles Garrett in pass rush win rate. Explosive off the edge with a blend of power and finesse to work off of blocks, he can be a game-wrecking nightmare for opponents, especially playing with the home crowd behind him.

Away from Parsons, the Cowboys have several other capable rushers Lucas and Cross will have to deal with on Thursday night. Though his sack numbers are down, Lawrence ranks second on the team with 33 pressures, while Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Sam Williams have five and four sacks this season respectively in rotational reserve roles. If there's reason for optimism for the Seahawks, Cross has been playing his best football in recent weeks, allowing four total pressures, no sacks, and no quarterback hits in the previous three games. Lucas should also be an instant upgrade over Jason Peters and Stone Forsythe, who have struggled in his absence as of late, but both second-year tackles will have their work cut out for them and the team will have to provide extra support from tight ends and running backs to protect Geno Smith.

--Seahawks cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Tre Brown versus Cowboys receivers CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Brandin Cooks: Blossoming into one of the league's premier young receivers for the No. 1 scoring offense, Lamb ranks fifth in receptions, third in receiving yards, and 10th in receiving touchdowns as Prescott's go-to target in Dallas' prolific passing game. Much of this damage has come from the slot where the ex-Oklahoma star has caught 39 passes for 546 yards and four touchdowns, feasting on smaller nickel defenders with 26 first down receptions and 208 yards created after the catch. This sets up an exciting matchup inside against Witherspoon, who has allowed only 15 receptions and the third-best passer rating (75.3) in coverage among qualified slot defenders this year.

But Lamb isn't the only receiver on the Cowboys who can create explosive plays, and with Witherspoon likely seeing extensive action inside against Lamb, Woolen and Brown will face difficult matchups of their own against Gallup and Cooks. Benched last week due to a shoulder injury and poor tackling against the 49ers, Woolen will need to bounce back, as Cooks still has the wheels to be a dangerous vertical threat even against the most athletic corners. Playing not too far away from his old stomping grounds at Oklahoma, Brown could see a bunch of snaps against Gallup, whose size and route running savvy present different challenges. For the Seahawks to have a chance on Thursday, the corners will have to be on top of their game limiting explosives in the passing game against a diverse, talented receiving corps.

--Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba versus Cowboys cornerbacks Daron Bland, Stephon Gilmore, and Jourdan Lewis: Pitting strength against strength, Metcalf and Lockett will have their work cut out for them trying to get open against Bland and Gilmore, who have more than helped the Cowboys survive without injured starter Trevon Diggs. Likely the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year honors, Bland has emerged as a superstar in his second season, intercepting seven passes and returning five of them for touchdowns, setting a new NFL single season record. Continuing to play at a high level at 33 years old, Gilmore has two interceptions and six pass breakups while allowing a respectable 76.3 passer rating in coverage.

Interestingly, Metcalf has had great success against Gilmore in the past, including torching him for a 54-yard touchdown in a win over the Patriots in 2020. Smith may be inclined to look his direction if those two are matched up against one another on Thursday night, as his speed could be a problem for the crafty veteran. The Seahawks may also have a built in advantage with Lockett and Smith-Njigba from the slot, as the Cowboys have had some issues defending receivers inside this season. Primary nickel back Jourdan Lewis has yielded 324 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and a 131.3 passer rating in coverage, ranking near the bottom of the NFL in all three categories. With all of this in mind, two of Bland's pick sixes have come from slot, so Smith will have to keep tabs on where he lines up every play.

--Seahawks linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks versus Cowboys running backs Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle: A pass-first offense, the Cowboys sit in the middle of the pack with 1,268 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns so far this season. But while they aren't feature pieces in Brian Schottenheimer's system, Pollard and Dowdle have been quality complementary weapons to Prescott and the receiving corps. The speedy Pollard actually ranks seventh in the NFL in yards after contact, using his slipperiness to break through arm tackles on a regular basis, and his explosiveness can be a problem in the passing game as well, as he already has a 60-yard catch earlier this season. Dowdle has averaged north of three yards after contact per carry, giving the team more of a physical punch in the run game.

Offering dynamic playmaking ability as a runner and receiver, Schottenheimer may look to scheme Pollard into one-on-one matchups against Wagner and Brooks underneath in coverage, stressing them horizontally with his elite burst as the receivers stretch the field vertically. Both defenders will have to improve upon difficult outings a week ago defending the run as well, as both backs have demonstrated ability to manufacture yardage against contact and getting off blocks against a top tier offensive line will be imperative for slowing them down.

--Seahawks safety Jamal Adams versus Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott: Compared to earlier in his career, mostly because he hasn't needed to, Prescott hasn't taken off as a runner as much this season, rushing only 15 times through 11 games. However, he remains a threat with his legs when the opportunity presents itself to scramble, as he has rushed for 151 yards on those limited attempts with a pair of touchdown runs. Weighing nearly 240 pounds with above average speed, he remains a viable weapon in short yardage and goal line situations, as the Seahawks learned the hard way in a wild card round loss back in January 2019 when he punched the ball in for a critical touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

In that matchup all those years ago, the Seahawks relied on long-time linebacker K.J. Wright to keep tabs on him when he decided to vacate the pocket and transition into scrambling mode. This week, the team will likely turn to Adams to play that role, as he spends extensive time up in the box to play to his strengths as a physical safety and often has previously held that spy job title against other mobile quarterbacks. Along with having the cover tight ends such as Jake Ferguson, he will be tasked with chasing down Prescott anytime he exits the pocket as a runner and limiting the damage on those scramble attempts will be critical to generating defensive stops on Thursday night.

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