Cowboys escape with a win over the Seahawks, and maybe Dak Prescott is the real MVP

Maybe Dallas Cowboys fans will be happy with Dak Prescott now.

Getting undue criticism is part of the job of playing quarterback for the Cowboys. Ask Tony Romo. Go back to the Cowboys' past couple of playoff losses and find all those social media messages begging the Cowboys to get rid of Prescott. They were plentiful.

Only a long Cowboys playoff run will quiet that crowd. But maybe an MVP would help a little. There is no doubt Prescott is in the MVP race after Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks.

On a night when the Cowboys' defense was uncharacteristically bad — or maybe it's that the Cowboys have beat up on bad teams and have not looked nearly as good against good ones — Prescott saved Dallas from a bad loss. Prescott led a go-ahead drive, hitting Jake Ferguson for a 12-yard touchdown with 4:37 left, and then the Cowboys finally got a stop. Dallas got a field goal after that, and Micah Parsons' pressure on a fourth-down incompletion sealed the 41-35 win over the Seahawks.

Prescott was excellent, as he has been for many weeks. In Dallas' six games before Thursday, Prescott had thrown 18 touchdowns to two interceptions, completing more than 70% of his passes for a 122.6 passer rating. And he was even better Thursday night. Prescott threw for 299 yards, three touchdowns and made several big plays against a Seahawks team that came to Dallas looking for an upset and almost got it.

Dallas got a real test on Thursday night. The Seahawks were in position to win. Prescott was the biggest difference in the win. Start the MVP conversation.

Seahawks strike quickly

Anyone expecting a Cowboys blowout on Thursday night had to be surprised. The Seahawks let it be known early on that it wouldn't be an easy night for Dallas. DK Metcalf took a pass from Geno Smith and ran (really fast) to the end zone for a 73-yard score and a 7-3 Seattle lead.

The Cowboys scored the next 14 points, and at that point maybe Cowboys fans felt comfortable. But the Seahawks weren't going away.

Seattle got a 1-yard touchdown run from rookie running back Zach Charbonnet, then, after a long Cowboys drive ended in a field goal, Seattle got a huge touchdown just before the end of the half. A defensive pass interference penalty on DaRon Bland in the end zone set up a second touchdown from Metcalf just seconds before halftime. Seattle got the ball first to start the second half, and Smith capped that with a 5-yard touchdown run. That gave the Seahawks a surprising 28-20 lead.

Seattle was 6-5 coming in with a tough remaining schedule. The Seahawks were desperate for an upset win that would help their playoff chances. And they were playing like the more desperate team.

Game stays tight into 4th quarter

The Seahawks kept the momentum deep into the second half. The Cowboys scored and opted for the extra point to make it a 28-27 game. But Seattle answered right back on Metcalf's third touchdown, as Smith bought time and found the receiver dragging in the back of the end zone.

The Cowboys were in real trouble, trailing 35-27. They couldn't shake the Seahawks. This wasn't the Washington Commanders or New York Giants the Cowboys were facing. This was an opponent that would actually fight back.

Dallas' defense made one huge play in the middle of the fourth quarter. The Seahawks went for it on fourth-and-1 in Cowboys territory. DeMarcus Lawrence came crashing off the edge and stopped Charbonnet for no gain. That gave Dallas good field position, and Prescott kept making plays. He hit Ferguson for the go-ahead score. Dallas led 38-35 after Prescott hit Brandin Cooks for a 2-point conversion. Dallas' defense got a stop after that, with Smith overthrowing Jaxon Smith-Njigba under pressure on fourth down.

Dallas had a chance to end the game, but the Seahawks got the stop it needed inside the two-minute warning. The Cowboys got a field goal to push the lead to 41-35.

The Seahawks approached near midfield but stalled, with Parsons coming off the edge on fourth down and forcing Smith into a fourth-down incompletion that practically finished the game.

The Cowboys will have to be better against good teams. They had three games all season against teams with a .500 record or better. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, and were in real danger of losing to the Seahawks at home.

But they are winning games. On Thursday night, the biggest reason for the win was their quarterback. If the Cowboys can win the NFC East and Prescott can continue to play like he has, he'll have the résumé to get MVP votes. And it's not like a stellar season from a Cowboys quarterback has ever been under the radar. He's certainly in the mix for MVP after another great game.

Maybe Prescott will win over all those critical Cowboys fans after all.