The Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys will face off in the first NFC playoff matchup on Wild Card Weekend, but it’s not the first time they’ve played each other this season. The two teams met earlier in the year, all the way back in Week 3.
Why we think the Seahawks can beat the Cowboys again, this time in the 2019 NFL playoffs
The Seahawks and Cowboys meet again on Wild Card Weekend. Even without Earl Thomas, Seattle should have an edge.
Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images
In that game, the Seahawks played host to the Cowboys and walked away with a decisive 24-13 victory that wasn’t even as close as the score might indicate. The Seahawks were dominant on both sides of the ball.
Now that they’re set to play again, should we expect more of the same? Not quite.
What happened the first time the Cowboys and Seahawks played
In the first outing, played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, the Cowboys consistently struggled to move the ball. A defense led by Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner was more than enough to frustrate the Cowboys at every turn. Wagner was returning from a groin injury, while Thomas was unhappy over contract terms and the team’s unwillingness to give him an extension despite his high level of play.
Thomas finished the game having picked off Dak Prescott twice, while Wagner had eight tackles, a stop in the backfield, and two passes defensed. Prescott threw for just 168 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, while being sacked five times for a loss of 31 yards. He finished with a passer rating of just 54.5.
The Cowboys managed to rush for 166 yards as a team, but the gains rarely came on crucial downs. Despite 127 rushing yards from Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas was stagnant on offense and converted just 3 of 13 third downs.
Russell Wilson, on the other hand, threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and was only sacked twice. Chris Carson had 32 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown for Seattle, while Tyler Lockett had 77 yards and a touchdown reception. Jarran Reed had two sacks, and the other three were split between Mychal Kendricks, Barkevious Mingo and Frank Clark.
This was also the first win of the season for the Seahawks, who were thought to be in rebuilding mode but quickly established themselves as playoff contenders.
What’s different now?
- Thomas was a huge factor in the first matchup, but he’s on injured reserve. He has been replaced in the starting lineup by Tedric Thompson, who himself is dealing with injuries but is expected to be full-go for Saturday.
- Amari Cooper was not with the Cowboys the first time around, which should also certainly help their offense get going after struggling so much in the first meeting. Since joining the Cowboys, Cooper has caught 53 passes with two 180+ yard games in nine appearances.
- This game will be played at JerryWorld, whereas the first game was at CenturyLink. Dallas is 7-1 at home this season, while the Seahawks are just 4-4 on the road.
- Another point in favor of the Cowboys is the play of rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who was still working himself into the starting lineup when these two teams met the first time — now he’s playing incredible football and will be a force.
- Both teams were still in flux after their first game, each at 1-2 through the first three weeks. Both finished at 10-6, with the Cowboys winning the NFC East title.
- Seattle still had seeding to fight for in Week 17, and thus played their starters for the majority of the game. The Cowboys were already locked in the No. 4 seed and some players, like Elliott, were able to get some much-needed rest.
So what’s gonna happen Saturday?
Seahawks fans have been pretty confident in their team, at least more than Cowboys fans, this season. That’s reflected in our latest FanPulse survey, where 71 percent of fans who voted think Seattle will come out on top.
The loss of Thomas is significant, and certainly the biggest change between meetings, but Thompson has filled in nicely and the rest of the defense has been exceeding expectations. In SB Nation’s expert picks, all six humans makings selections think the Seahawks will win it, while the non-humans (the OddsShark computer and a coin) were unanimous in picking Dallas.
We don’t really trust either team in the playoffs, but we’ll give the slight edge to Seattle once again.
Score prediction: Seahawks 20, Cowboys 17
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