Seahawks vs. Cowboys: 3 things we learned about Seattle

The Seahawks finally won in 2018! After starting the season with two straight losses, Seattle defeated Dallas. Here’s what we learned.

Funny how a win can change the mood of a fan base. The Seahawks beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday for Seattle’s first win of the year. But the way they won was the best aspect. And that is one of three things we learned about Seattle this week.

Seattle really can run the football

The Seahawks decided they were going to run the ball on Sunday. Finally. A team that made lots of changes this offseason in an apparent attempt to get back to rushing the ball this year did not run very much in their first two games.

But against Dallas, Seattle gave running back Chris Carson the ball 32 times. Though Carson finished with just 3.2 yards-per-rush, he was projecting at 4 yards-a-carry or more for most of the game. Only near the end of the game when Dallas knew to load up along the line was Carson consistently stopped.

Carson was helped by the return of massive right guard D.J. Fluker. But Carson created yards where other Seahawk backs do not. Plus, Russell Wilson had a lot less pressure on him when he dropped back as Dallas had to account for Carson. (Wilson was sacked just twice.) Simply put, the Seahawks need to carry this kind of game plan into every game.

The Seahawks safeties are the best in football. Still.

Earl Thomas and Bradley McDougald are going to carry the Seattle defense for the entire year. Bobby Wagner may be the best linebacker in football. But Thomas and McDougald have been fantastic this year.

Thomas, of course, is Earl Thomas and a future Hall of Famer. (More on him in a second.) But McDougald has taken the place of Kam Chancellor and played every bit as good as Chancellor. Not only has McDougald been great in coverage, but he may have saved Seattle from being involved in a much closer game than it should have been.

Watching McDougald’s strip of Ezekiel Elliott was beautiful.

Seattle needs to stop everything right now and extend Earl Thomas

Enough with the pettiness. Thomas is not going to be traded to the Cowboys. And he shouldn’t be going anywhere else either. Thomas has been a bit petty about Seattle not extending him. The Seahawks, though, need to. Unless the team just commits to a complete rebuild (and why do they really need to do that?), then Seattle needs to keep the great players it has.

The Seahawks will never have a more talented safety than Thomas. Maybe he wants too much money but maybe Seattle should come close to his asking price. He is worth it. And this isn’t just based on his two interceptions against the Cowboys. This is based on his entire Hall of Fame worthy career. Sign Thomas. And sign him now.