Seahawks vs. Cowboys: Position by position breakdown
By Lee Vowell
Defense
Defensive line
Seattle has already faced two defenses that can get to the opposing quarterback, and Dallas will make that three. Defense end Demarcus Lawrence had 14.5 sacks in 2017 for Dallas and has two in 2018 so far. Seattle has only Frank Clark who is proven in sacking quarterbacks, and even he is inconsistent. The Seahawks gave away Tom Johnson after week one, so stopping the run might be an issue for them too.
Advantage: Cowboys
Linebacker
Bobby Wagner will return for the Seahawks after missing week two so that is a great boost for the defense. K.J. Wright will still be out with a knee issue, though. Mychal Kendricks, who was so good in week two after Seattle signed him a couple of days before the game, might also miss the game. This means rookie Austin Calitro might get a bunch of reps again.
For Dallas, Sean Lee has been dealing with a possible hamstring issue, but I will be surprised if he cannot play. The Cowboys are solid at linebacker but Wagner makes Seattle’s unit better. Slightly.
Advantage: Seahawks
Secondary
Let’s go ahead and assume that Earl Thomas will play on Sunday. He was at practice on Saturday. Seattle also has Bradley McDougald and he has been fantastic this year. Shaquill Griffin and Justin Coleman have been solid. But Seattle is a mess at the corner opposite Griffin and that can cost the Seahawks football games.
Dallas has a good secondary that could be great one day. Corner Byron Jones is becoming a star.
Advantage: Cowboys