Russell Wilson led a clutch 16-play drive to set up the game-winning field goal as the Seattle Seahawks sent the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-12 defeat in Week 8. Here's what you need to know:
- If the Cowboys had the benefit of any quarterback remotely resembling a legitimate option, the Seahawks' ongoing late-game woes would have come back to haunt. The final 16 minutes included a Greg Hardy interception, a blocked Steven Hauschka field goal, a holding call that negated a long Tyler Lockett punt return, Marshawn Lynch's failure to stay inbounds to milk the clock and an ill-timed roughing the passer penalty on Michael Bennett. Confident that the defense could stop Matt Cassel in a one-minute field-goal drill, the Seahawks' staff opted for a Wilson rollout to set up the go-ahead field goal rather than throwing for the end zone and leaving more time on the clock. Miscues aside, Seattle is 4-4 entering the bye week, with a clash of the NFC West titans on the horizon in a Week 10 matchup with the first-place Cardinals.
- Continuing a trend, All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman "traveled" throughout the game, following Dez Bryant in coverage. Sherman was the decisive winner, generating a pair of pass deflections, a tackle for loss and an offensive pass interference penalty. To be fair, Bryant was at less than peak form in first game back from injury and spent the afternoon tracking ducks from Cassel.
- The Cowboys' defense deserves credit for carrying a futile offense that managed just four net yards in the fourth quarter. Shaking off a second-quarter ankle injury, Hardy gave the offense prime field position and an eventual 12-10 lead with an athletic pass deflection-turned-interception late in the third quarter. It was Dallas' first forced turnover in five games since losing Tony Romo to a fractured clavicle in late September. Although the Cowboys are winless without Romo, they are only two games back in the NFC East win column thanks to the Giants' wild-and-wacky loss at New Orleans. Romo is due back in Week 11 versus the Dolphins.
- Darren McFadden did the heavy lifting on offense for the second straight week, posting 113 yards on 26 touches against a stout Seattle defense stacking the box with no respect for Cassel. It would have been 138 yards if Lucky Whitehead's illegal motion penalty hadn't nullified an impressive 25-yard run. McFadden is simply a stronger runner than Joseph Randle and deserves to be the workhorse as long as his body can withstand the pounding.
- As well as the Cowboys' defense played, they failed to register a single sack against Wilson, who entered the game with an NFL high 31 sacks absorbed. It's a positive sign for a beleaguered Seahawks offensive line playing without left tackle Russell Okung.
- The Seahawksreceived a scare just before halftime when wide receiver Ricardo Lockette was knocked out cold on a hit from Cowboys safety Jeff Heath. Carried off on a stretcher, Lockette was evaluated with a concussion yet demonstrated full use of his extremities.
