By Alex Al-Kazzaz
The Dallas Cowboys are now 9-3. A hard-fought come-from-behind win, 41-35, over the Seattle Seahawks, saw the Cowboys have to show a lot of resiliency to get the job done. In other words, for the first time in a while, the Cowboys were in a massive predicament, and they found a way out and came out on top. The final stretch of the season has now begun. The challenges only increase from this point on.
Geno Smith and the Seahawks were well on their way to ending Dallas' 13-game winning streak at home. With a 35-27 lead with seven minutes left to play and a Dallas defense incapable of making stops, the win seemed inevitable. But three back-to-back turnover-on-downs by the Seattle offense spoiled what would have been a huge win for the Seahawks. After struggling for most of the game, the Dallas defense pulled through while the offense managed to keep the Cowboys in the game the entire way.
Dak Prescott played great. Prescott kept the offense in rhythm, finishing the night with three touchdowns. Despite being sacked four times, Prescott quickly rebounded and amassed respectable results. CeeDee Lamb had another breakout: he caught 12 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown—a total of 411 yards of total offense by Dallas. The defense forced one turnover, registered one sack, and pulled through at the game's most crucial moments.
Smith and DK Metcalf connected very well as Metcalf caught six passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Noah Fant added more to the dominance. Seattle's running game wasn't as effective, and that goes for Dallas, too. Like Prescott, Smith had to throw the ball at least 40 times. Smith threw a hat-trick of touchdowns with 334 yards through the air. On Seattle's final play on offense, Smith was badly overwhelmed by Micah Parsons, thus preventing Smith from pulling a heroic game-winning drive. As far as Smith and the Seahawks' offense goes, not for nothing; they exploited weaknesses in the Dallas defense and pulled off a respectable performance.
Dallas now has to prepare to face the Eagles at home. Seattle will take on San Francisco on the road. The Seahawks have now lost three straight, and it's not looking too good for them moving forward. For Dallas, a win at home against Philadelphia is crucial because, after that, they got Buffalo and Miami on the road back-to-back. It's the final stretch, which means Dallas must prove they mean business.