The Seattle Seahawks offense roared back to life, but it wasn't enough as they dropped their third straight game. No shortage of studs nor duds in this contest. It all depends on which side of the ball you're looking.
Now, that's not to say that the Seahawks offense was perfect. They were far from that. But after seeing this team fail to break 300 yards or 20 points in three of their last four games - all losses, by the way - it was almost astounding to see them roll for over 400 yards and five touchdowns against a good team. The offense definitely had some studs show up on this Thursday night.
The only problem in Dallas was that on the night the Seahawks brought their A game on offense, the defense took the night off. Oh, they had a few stops, but this was certainly one of their worst performances of the year. And I suffered through the entire Ravens game just like the rest of us, 12s. The Hawks made some good plays on defense, sure, but too many were negated by penalties. Hmmm...seems we've heard that refrain before. Before I move too far down that path, let's look at one of Seattle's absolute studs in this game.
The Seattle Seahawks got a jumpstart from DK Metcalf
DK Metcalf opened some eyes this week when he singled out Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland for some serious praise a few days before the game. He accurately pointed out that Bland had more touchdowns (five pick-sixes) than Metcalf himself (to that point, just three). Who knew he was just setting the guy up?
On the Hawks' very first series, Seattle answered the doubts about third-down conversions with a perfect strike from Geno Smith to Metcalf. The ball traveled about 27 yards in the air from Smith's release to Metcalf's catch, and DK did the rest. On his way to the end zone, he hit the fastest speed recorded in three years in the NFL.
DK was just getting started, as it turns out. He wouldn't make another play as spectacular as that, of course, but whether it's from one yard out or 73, they all count for six points. Metcalf wound up with what was easily his best game of the season. He caught six of his eight targets for a season-high 134 yards, and doubled his scoring on the year with three touchdowns on the night. Well, he passed Bland for touchdowns, so I guess it's mission accomplished there.
The Hawks defense had far too many dud moments, but they weren't alone
I'm not going to call out any individual on the Hawks defense, as at some point, literally every player on that side of the ball came up short on this night. Seattle allowed 136 yards rushing on 34 carries, a 4.0 yard average. That apparent early-season improvement is now clearly an illusion created by their schedule. It's also true that the Seahawks defense held the Cowboys to just four scores in eight trips to the red zone. That's impressive.
Sadly, it's more impressive to Dallas fans that their team rolled for 411 yards and 4 points. Even when the Hawks made a big play, they shot themselves in the foot. Quandre Diggs had a key interception at the Seattle five-yard line, but an offsides penalty negated the turnover. Of course, the Boys scored. Such was the night for the Hawks defenders.
I'm not so sure that Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron called a great game. Yes, Seattle had one of their best offensive games of the season. But was that a function of an improved design, or more that Geno Smith was getting rid of the ball more quickly? Yeah, I know, that could very well be strictly the result of plays designed to get the ball out faster. Or, maybe it was Geno Smith making decisions more quickly. I mean, Smith himself said that he's been holding on to the ball too long. All I saw from Waldron was the same handoff to Zach Charbonnet on fourth down that failed, again.
Still, it's hard to fault the OC on a night when the offense rolls as the Hawks did. Again, the penalties in this game were atrocious. Some of that comes down to discipline on the team, certainly. But as our own Sara Marshall noted, the Cowboys had nearly the same number of penalties as the Seahawks. They were hurt about as badly as Seattle, so it's not as if the game completely changed on one call and the other team got off easy. This loss is on the Hawks, absolutely, but it would be nice for a professional league to have officials that match the expertise of the players.
The Seahawks would have been blown out if not for Geno Smith
Okay, Geno haters, where are you? Oh, never mind, I'm sure you're still out there, furiously mashing out "GIVE DREW A CHANCE" with your Cheeto dust-encrusted thumbs. Oh, I'll admit that Smith made a few bad throws. That happens in football; not every play results in perfection, unlike your line of work, where you never make a single error. What's absolutely maddening is the refusal to acknowledge the exceptional plays the man does make.
Dallas hadn't allowed over 300 yards passing all season. Smith threw for 334 on Thursday night. The Cowboys had allowed just 17 touchdowns through the air in their first 11 games. Geno Smith connected for three scores on his own. And of course, he ran in for another score. Exactly where would this team have been if not for Smith?
Yes, a loss is still a loss, I get it. The Seahawks are 6-6 with two very difficult games ahead of them on the schedule. But tell me, don't you feel the tiniest bit better about this team after this game, as opposed to the Ravens debacle? Smith came out en fuego, as the kids used to say. He had an excellent game for the Seahawks and was truly a stud on this night.