DALLAS — Week 13 was good to the Dallas Cowboys, who not only won in thrilling, comeback fashion over the Seattle Seahawks, but they also saw the NFC East leading Philadelphia Eagles lose to close the gap in the division.
The November-capping triumph wasn’t their typical victory at home, but the Cowboys were forced to learn more about themselves by finding a way to win. It might not have looked as easy as it had in recent weeks, but Mike McCarthy’s boys won their fourth straight game.
There were also some things that didn’t change for Dallas. Quarterback Dak Prescott continued his torrid MVP pace and his play-making wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had another stellar performance along the way. The Cowboys’ offense has become tough to stop and the Seahawks were the latest victims along their path.
Here’s what we learned about the Cowboys in their come-from-behind win in Week 13:
Micah Parsons dominates without a sack
The stat sheet won’t show Parsons with a sack, or a tackle for a loss, but the pass rusher was still able to put his mark on the game. Parsons kept winning his matchups, but Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith kept getting the ball out quickly to limit the damage.
Smith had a great game, but Parsons was consistently in the backfield and his pressure kept Smith from connecting on passes with the game on the line late. Parsons’ speed on the final fourth down that decided the game demonstrated how he can alter a contest despite not having a sack.
On the fourth-and-two that sealed the win, Seattle tried to take Parsons out of the equation by not blocking him, inviting him into the backfield and trying to throw past him. If you’re thinking that sounds like a poor decision, well, it was. Parsons is too fast and the All-Pro got into Smith’s face much quicker than expected. Parsons blew up the play and it ensured the win for Dallas.
Offensive line looks tired
The Cowboys had been settling in on the offensive line over the previous three games, as they had not allowed a sack during the win streak. However, the unit found things more difficult against a good defensive line for the Seahawks, surrendering four sacks.
Dak Prescott felt the pressure, took two sacks on two red zone trips, and left guard Tyler Smith had a hold that took a touchdown off the board as well.
It could have been the three games in 12 days stretch that had them a little fatigued, or maybe they just didn’t play up to par in Week 13, but it was a rough night for the Cowboys’ offensive line. They’ll need to shore things up before next week because the Eagles have one of the best defensive lines in the league and a similar performance would be disastrous as Dallas tries to claw back into the division race.
Penalties still a problem
The Cowboys came into the game as one of the most penalized teams in the league and left in an even worse position. The first half of the Thursday night game was particularly ugly with the team penalized seven times for 107 yards, and most of the infractions came on defense to keep drives alive for the Seahawks.
Penalties gifted Seattle points on their final two drives in the first half, during which they scored two touchdowns to put Dallas in a hole. Another penalty – the aforementioned Smith hold – took points off the board. Those are the hidden plays that gave the Seahawks a chance to pull off the upset in a game where the Cowboys’ offense was close to unstoppable.
The types of mistakes that the Cowboys were making, such as jumping offsides and lining up in the neutral zone, are simply maddening unforced errors. McCarthy might be able to live with the physical penalties, but the undisciplined mental mistakes remain an issue.
Defense needs the lead
The Cowboys have one of the best defenses in the league because of their ability to take the ball away and play with the lead. However, when the game is close and offenses stay on track, Dan Quinn’s group isn’t as effective.
Instead of playing timid, the Seahawks attacked Dallas’ defense and they scored on four of their first five possessions. Smith threw right at top Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland, who had a rough first half, giving up two touchdowns.
In the first 30 minutes, Seattle was 7-for-8 on third downs, and improved to 9-for-11 through three quarters.
Things changed late in the game when the Cowboys got the lead, the defense got three straight third and fourth down stops, but the unit struggled for most of the game when it was close.
It continues to be clear that Dallas’ defense is at their best when they have a lead and can play for takeaways rather than stops.
Too many game management miscues
The Cowboys got the win, but McCarthy made some strange decisions along the way. There was a highly questionable choice early to decline a holding penalty that would have given the Seahawks second-and-19, electing instead for a third-and-seven chance. The result was wide receiver DK Metcalf going 73-yards for the score on the next play.
With a defense that plays well going downhill, it’s odd that McCarthy declined the penalty. Knowing that Pete Carroll stalks the Seattle sideline, a second down run was likely which would have given Dallas a potential third-and-long opportunity, rather than the more manageable shot.
Another head-scratching game management decision came when Dallas elected to throw the ball late in the fourth quarter facing a third-and-three with the Seahawks out of timeouts. The choice to throw a fade to the end zone was even more suspect, and the pass falling incomplete stopped the clock. By not running it, Seattle had at least 35 more seconds to mount a final comeback attempt instead of leaving them with only about a minute left to play in a one-score game.
The choices ultimately didn’t hurt them in this game, but McCarthy’s in-game decisions remain, at best, questionable.
Do you think the Cowboys will apply their lessons learned this season to the month of December? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
