NFC Showdown: Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks

It feels odd to say given their recent histories as dominant teams, but it seems as if neither the Dallas Cowboys nor the Seattle Seahawks are teams that opponents have to overly worry about. The biggest reason may be in their offensive lines.

For the Cowboys, injuries to the O-line are leaving Ezekiel Elliot, one of the premier running backs in the league, struggling to find holes and yardage. For the Seahawks, it is more about their protection of Russell Wilson. Through two games the Seahawks have already given up 12 sacks.

While a few of those might be a little more on Russell Wilson not getting rid of the ball, the offensive line isn’t exactly giving him much time. The two will have the opportunity to square off Sunday when the Cowboys (1-1) travel to CenturyLink Field to take on the Seahawks (0-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 pm ET.

The spread comes in with the Seattle Seahawks as 1.5-point favorites in this one. This is very likely due to their home field advantage, one that is intensified due to the “12th man,” the crowd, whose noise can sometimes be deafening in Seattle (at one point it actually held a Guinness world record for loudest sports stadium). The over/under on total points scored comes in at 40.5.

Dallas Hopes To Get Offense Going Against Seattle

Unfortunately for Dallas fans, the offense has been sputtering through the first two games of the season. Dak Prescott has thrown for 330 yards with only 1 touchdown. He has also been sacked 6 times due to an offensive line riddled with injuries. Aside from the poor line, another problem for Prescott is that there is just not much in terms of targets to throw to. Cole Beasley is leading all receivers with 9 receptions and 86 yards, but there just isn’t much else consistency in the passing game. It is times like these that the Cowboys may be missing Dez Bryant, despite some of the antics he has shown over the years.

Despite the poor line, Elliott has managed to put together 147 yards and 2 touchdowns, but averaging under 75 yards per game is a far cry from what we have seen him be able to put up.

The strength for the Cowboys thus far, and one of the reasons they have been able to stay .500, is their defense. They held the Panthers to only 16 points in a week one loss and, last week, held the New York Giants to only 13 points in a win. The Cowboys have nine sacks, good for second in the league. That defensive pressure may mean another long day for Russell Wilson, who has been running for his life all season.

Seattle Looking For First Win

Two weeks in, this has to be already getting old for Russell Wilson. He does have 524 yards passing and 5 touchdowns, but the 12 sacks has to be scary. The constant pressure has already been getting to him, not only in the sacks but he has also thrown 3 interceptions thus far.

Even with number one wide receiver Doug Baldwin healing, the Seahawks have some weapons. Tyler Lockett has performed well catching 8 passes for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of the biggest surprises thus far, though, has to be the play of Will Dissly. The rookie tight end has 6 catches for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns. There are weapons, but once again, the question is whether Russell Wilson can be upright long enough to utilize them.

Cowboys Win This One In A Close One

Neither offense is exactly inspiring. The offensive lines are horrendous in both and I expect a low scoring game. Still, I think the Cowboys have enough firepower to put together some drives and chip away at the scoreboard. On the other hand, if the first two weeks of the season are any indication, Dallas’ defense may have Russell Wilson spending a lot of time on the ground again, and I just don’t think the Seahawks have enough to overcome their poor line play. The crowd certainly will be a factor, but I like the Cowboys straight up in this one, so getting 1.5 points is just an added bonus. Take the Cowboys.