Carson, Defense Power Seahawks To Victory Over Cowboys

At home for the first time this season, the Seattle Seahawks finally found their way into the win column with a 24-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.  Keeping good to their word, Seahawks’ Head Coach Pete Carroll and Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer stuck to the run game, with Seattle backs picking up 36 carries.  Chris Carson, finally established as the Seahawks’ lead back,led the way with 102 yards on 32 attempts. He became the first Seattle running back to top 100 yards since 2016.  Carson also scored the go-ahead touchdown from five yards out early in the fourth quarter.

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— NFL (@SEA_NFL) September 23, 2018

Overall, Seattle’s offense continued to struggle once again, totaling just 295 yards from scrimmage, though they did go 7-16 on third down.  The Seahawks’ offensive line had their best effort of the year, allowing only two sacks of Russell Wilson.  For Wilson, despite the improved protection, he continued to show a lack of trust in receivers not named Tyler Lockett, completing 16 of 26 throws for 192 yards. Russell did manage to toss two scoring strikes, including a 52-yarder along the sideline to the aforementioned Lockett, but it was not a dominant night for the beleaguered QB.  He seemed to be thinking rather than playing and still looked uncomfortable in Schottenheimer’s scheme.

The dominance would come from Seattle’s defense.  Led by a still disgruntled Earl Thomas (two interceptions), the Seahawks forced three turnovers and allowed just 168 passing yards to Dak Prescott.  Seattle’s pass rush finally came to life, constantly pressuring Prescott and picking up five sacks, with defensive tackle Jarran Reed leading the way with two.  Although Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott had momentary flashes in the game, the Dallas offense could find no consistent answers against the Seahawks’ D.

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— NFL (@SEA_NFL) September 23, 2018

Seattle will look to build on their first win and keep the momentum rolling next week when they take on the Detroit Lions at the CLink.