Richard Sherman hasn't been his typically dominant self for most of 2015, but on Sunday he looked back to normal, shutting down Dez Bryant and the Dallas Cowboys passing offense.
Earl Thomas declares Richard Sherman the best football-playing nerd he’s ever seen
Sherman looked like his usual self against the Cowboys, allowing just one reception on Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks cornerback was targeted five times on the day and gave up just one pass for 15 yards. In each of the last three seasons, opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating under 50 when targeting Sherman, but that number has ballooned to 87 in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus, although he hasn't yet given up a touchdown.
Still, only Desmond Trufant of the Atlanta Falcons has been targeted less often than Sherman, whose numbers have been hurt most by the fact that he hasn't been able to haul in an interception -- he registered 24 picks in his first four seasons. While he didn't get one in Week 8 either, he looked like his old self against Bryant.
Among those singing his praises after the game was safety Earl Thomas. Via Seahawks.com:
“Baller. I just told him, ‘I’ve never seen a nerd who can play football like that,’” Thomas said of the Stanford-graduate Sherman’s day at Dallas. “This guy is unbelievable, man. Him and Kam [Chancellor], we’ve been together for so long, and I really lean on them. They pick me up.”
Per PFF, Sherman has been targeted on 26 plays through the first eight games of the season for the Seahawks and has given up 15 receptions for 230 yards.
Granted, Sherman faced a rusty Bryant on Sunday who was playing in his first game since breaking his foot in Week 1 and was receiving passes from Matt Cassel, a quarterback who doesn't particularly care for passes over 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. After a Week 9 bye, next up for Seattle are the Arizona Cardinals, who are No. 4 in passing yards and No. 2 in passing touchdowns.
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