It is probably a bad sign that a loss on the road felt like a highpoint for Seahawks fans in the last month. Lowered expectations will do that. A Seahawks offense that was hopeless, helpless, and hapless for much of the season, burst out of the gates and barely slowed down on their second straight Thursday night game against an NFC powerhouse. Geno Smith was masterful in a game in which he was under pressure more than half the time and often under rapid pressure. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was terrific in torturing the Cowboys secondary all evening, finally rounding into the form we expected when he was selected in the first round this year. D.K. Metcalf looked like the number one receiver he is paid and built to be, doubling his season touchdown total from 3 to 6 in one night. Those performances helped Seattle score more regulation points (35) than any visiting team has managed in Dallas since Dan Quinn took over as the defensive coordinator. It was not enough.
The Cowboys had not even trailed at home yet this season. They trailed just a few moments into this game after the Seahawks defense managed to hold Dallas to a field goal on the opening drive and Smith hit Metcalf for a scintillating 73-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and long on their first possession. Back and forth the two offenses went, throwing blow after blow. Neither team would punt all game.
Objectively, the Seahawks lost for a few reasons:
- Dallas is an excellent offensive team, with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb playing as well as any QB/WR combo in the NFL
- The Seahawks defense had few answers
- The Seahawks offense went 0-3 on 4th and short plays
- Tyler Lockett dropped a crucial and wide open pass late in the game
- Jake Bobo was pulled down short of a first down that he definitely should have picked up
- Shane Waldron made a brutally bad decision on the play call on the last 4th down
- The refs were absolutely awful and one-sided
I believe the Jason Myers field goal miss was also a meaningful factor, but not as directly as the items listed.
People want to rip the Seahawks defense, and that makes sense after all the first downs they gave up (33). I was more impressed with the play of Prescott and Lamb than I was upset with the Seahawks defense. Seattle would have gotten off the field multiple times if the referees were not making truly awful calls against them. They did get off the field after the only Seattle turnover, and they held the Cowboys without a touchdown on four different red zone possessions, including the final one that gave the offense a chance to win the game. They also sacked Prescott four times after he had gone without a sack in three straight games.
Sure, Jamal Adams was mostly slow and ineffective. Quandre Diggs once again made zero plays. Bobby Wagner was targeted in coverage a few times. Riq Woolen had some rough spots. Even Devon Witherspoon gave up a few plays.
If the expectations were that Seattle would hold this team under 20 points, that is silly fan fiction. If the expectation was they should hold them under 30 points, I believe they would have done that if the refs did their jobs and the offense converted a couple of those fourth downs.
Leonard Williams played another nice game. Jarran Reed flashed for the first time in a while, and was the victim of a blatant hold that went uncalled and keyed Cowboys points early. The run defense was pretty solid.
This group is missing Uchenna Nwosu more than I expected. Playing long stretches with Frank Clark, who is not an NFL player at this point, is evidence to just how far they are from where they were. Nwosu helped in pass rush, run defense, and coverage. That was a quiet loss that was bigger than I expected.
It was nice to see Smith playing so decisively. The Cowboys were creating pressure all night, but the ball was often gone by the time they reached Smith. They finished with no sacks and just five hits on Smith.
Smith was also throwing to receivers who were getting open, making plays, and in the right spots. You cannot have a game where your quarterback is getting rid of the ball in 2.5 seconds (2.54 was the average instead of his usual 2.9) without receivers being precise and on time in their routes. That is where Smith-Njigba should shine.
He is clearly the best at creating separation in this receiving corps at this point. Lockett has lost multiple steps, and Metcalf has never been a separation player. Smith has finally found some comfort and confidence relying on Smith-Njigba. It showed up on multiple big 3rd down conversions and most spectacularly on a would-be touchdown at the end of the first half.
Smith-Njigba was the most targeted receiver (11) on the night. That should be the norm going forward. People can talk about whether he should be the starter over Lockett. That matters less than whether he is central to the game plan. He was easily the player who most surprised the Cowboys.
This was the type of game that makes Smith a quarterback I believe in. This was top-shelf work. Even his interception was an on-time throw that was, at most, a few inches off target. Lockett got beat to the spot and the corner made a terrific play. You cannot both play with anticipation to avoid pressure and never put the ball in harm’s way. You have to be able to trust your receivers, and Lockett lost on that play.
His QBR was 91.3 out of a possible 100. His next-closest game this season was against Detroit when he had an 84.6 QBR.
I have been clear that whether the Seahawks win a playoff game this year is not how I will be measuring progress. I want to see development on both sides of the ball that look like a foundation is being built that can support even bigger ambitions than single playoff wins in years ahead. Smith and Metcalf and Smith-Njigba playing anywhere close to this level would qualify as a big step forward in my books.
The Seahawks finished 7-9 in the 2002 season. Most fans would not pick that out as a good or important year. It was pivotal.
Trent Dilfer was starting and was injured. Matt Hasselbeck was given the chance to start after losing the job, and was instrumental in an explosive finish by the offense that ultimately allowed Mike Holmgren to keep his job as head coach, even if he was stripped of GM duties.
The offense put up over 360 yards in 6 of their final 7 games, and over 500 yards in three games, including 591 in the season finale. Hasselbeck threw for over 400 yards twice, while notching 12 passing touchdowns in the last six games.
Seattle was able to build on that while winning 10 games the next year behind a top ten offense, and then won four straight division titles with a Super Bowl appearance.
The most likely scenario is this was an aberration and the offense will slide back into the muck. This Dallas defense is no joke, though, and Seattle shredded them on the road. Seattle most likely loses these next two games, but if the offense can put points on the board against these defenses, that truthfully means more than the results of the games.
I never thought the Seahawks were contenders this season. It is all about roster development.
And just to be on record, Seattle should draft a young quarterback no matter how Smith finishes this season. What could change is whether the Seahawks move on from Smith. There are plenty of games left to make that evaluation.
Abe Lucas returned, and seemed to play okay. Charles Cross was abused multiple times in pass protection and run blocking. I think it is time for Seattle to see what they have in Olu Oluwatimi at center. Evan Brown started the season strong, but has faded. It would be good to know what we have in the rookie center.
This was the third game Seattle lost this season that they really should have won: at Cincinnati, at LA Rams, at Dallas. The offense let down the team in two of those. The special teams let down the team in two of those. The defense let down the team in one of them.
Their record would have been 9-3 if they won each of those, but I’m not sure it really would have meant the team was any better. There is still a massive gulf in talent between this crew and the elite. The offense has a chance to give Seahawks fans something exiting this season that seemed out of reach just a week ago: hope.