Cowboys 38, Seahawks 17: A Few Things Worth Noting

Written by theMBIIIeffect

With a 21-point beatdown on the Seahawks, the Cowboys (5-2) moved into a tie with the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East.

The win, their second in as many weeks, provided a few things worth talking about.

• Tony Romo is playing much, much better: Since Dallas’ Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos, Romo has passed for 918 yards and eight touchdowns with only two total turnovers. Romo has also gone for three games without throwing an interception. Do keep in mind that two of those opponents are the Seattle Seahawks (2-5) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1-6). He’ll have a big test on Sunday night in Philadelphia.
• Part of Romo’s good play has to be attributed to a talented receiving corps: Tashard Choice was the only eligible receiver on the whole Cowboys roster to not catch a pass from Romo on Sunday. That’s a reception by 10 players. For Romo to have the confidence to gladly throw at your fifth receiver Kevin Ogletree or your third tight end John Phillips is a big plus in this offense.
• If Felix Jones is such a good receiver, how come we don’t use him more? Jones finished with one reception for 30 yards yesterday. He’s the kind of player that can create obvious mismatches that Jason Garrett loves. On his long reception yesterday, Jones lined up at tailback with 3 receivers and a tight end. Seattle tried to cover him with a linebacker. That was a poor decision. So, opposing defenses will have to use a corner or safety to cover Jones. That will take the opposing defenses out of double coverage on Miles Austin or Jason Witten. Defensive coordinators with Dallas on their schedule should have plenty to worry about.
• Keith Brooking is a scary man: Thank goodness someone in Atlanta thought Brooking was over the hill. He led the Cowboys in tackles for the fourth time this season. He also had a sack yesterday. Big play from out big, bad linebacker.
• DeMarcus Ware didn’t have as big a game as I expected: He’s obviously broken through his slump with a sack in his third straight game. Still, Ware was up against Seattle’s third string left tackle. He did prove his value, though. The Seahawks had to chip Ware through the whole game and changed what the offense could and couldn’t do. That allowed Brooking and Bobby Carpenter to get through the middle of the Seattle line to sack Hasselbeck.
• Hats off to Matt Hasselbeck: With around two minutes to play in the third quarter, Hasselbeck took a big hit to his ribcage. Even though he was playing with broken ribs and his team was trailing, he didn’t leave the field. He stayed until their last drive of the fourth quarter, which is admirable. He had a good day, throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
• Marion Barber isn’t healthy yet: Something is wrong with the big man. He’s still good enough to be our starter and our featured back, but that quad injury is still lingering.
• The coaching staff wants Doug Free to get some work: The left tackle prospect got to play the entire fourth quarter as Flozell Adams got the bench. Adams wasn’t injured, so it was either a precautionary measure or the coaching staff wanted to see Free working at left tackle. The coaches could want Free to have some experience should Adams get hurt.
• Special teams deserve a lot of credit: Late in the third quarter, a winded David Buehler boomed a kickoff five yards deep into the end zone for a touchback. Why was Buehler so tired? He was blocking on the punt return team that helped Patrick Crayton return his second punt for a touchdown in as many weeks. All of Buehler’s seven kickoffs went into the end zone. When there was a return, the coverage was good. Our punt team has pinned teams deep in their own territory often. The only area of concern in special teams is Nick Folk, who missed another field goal. I don’t see Buehler taking over field goal duty and I don’t think he should. Folk will figure himself out.
• Roy Williams is good enough to fix whatever problems he’s having: Williams is a talented player, which he showed on his touchdown catch. He wants to win, which shows in his blocking. He wants to be a big part of the offense, but something still isn’t clicking. It’s nice to see that he’s not throwing Romo under the bus or anybody else. He’s blaming it all on himself. With more work and some more time, I really believe that Williams will eventually find his place in this offense. Whether or not he was worth what we traded for him is irrelevant now. He’s on our roster and he’s getting paid. I just think it’s more of letting him do what he’s good at. He’s not going to beat a lot of corners on go routes. So what? He’s a big, physical receiver. Use him like one.