Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks – W2W4: Week 16
By Tyrone Starr
If anyone stands to benefit from the return of Elliott, it’s Prescott. With Zeke in the lineup, Dak has 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Without him, Dak has just five touchdowns but seven interceptions. The rating goes way down. The yards per attempt are less and the sacks are up. It’s all bad.
This is not a referendum on Dak’s abilities or his future. He’s a second year quarterback, so bumps in the road are somewhat of an expectation. With Elliott back, the Cowboys need the 16 touchdown, 4 interception version of Dak to return as well.
- Defensively, the Dallas Cowboys must contain Seattle’s quarterback if they want to be successful. Russell Wilson is by far and away Seattle’s biggest offensive threat.
If you disregard the outlier of their loss at Tennessee, Wilson’s average quarterback rating is 75.1. For some perspective, his career rating is 98.6. Clearly, making things difficult for Wilson is advantageous to the Cowboys chances.
Pressure will be key for Dallas but keeping Wilson in the pocket will be paramount. Wilson is at his best when he can improvise and allow time for his average wide receiving corps to get open. He is elite at putting pressure on your defense with his ability to run and keep plays alive.
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With this possibly being the final home game of the year for the Dallas Cowboys, I expect maximum effort. If this game were to be played in Seattle, I’d be more pessimistic about the Cowboys chances. Look for a very invigorated offense to return to its pre-suspension form when it was averaging over 180 yards on the ground and more than 32 points per game.