Studs and duds in Cowboys’ 41-35 Week 13 win over Seahawks
The Dallas Cowboys were finally tested at home against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, and they came away with a 41-35 win. It wasn’t as easy as expected, but the Cowboys pushed their current win streak to three games, extended their home winning streak to 14, and kept the pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles to win to keep their two-game lead in the division.
It was a grind for the Cowboys in this one as their defense had a bad night and the penalties piled up giving the struggling Seahawks a chance to come away with the upset. However, behind another stellar performance from their MVP candidate quarterback Dak Prescott, the team was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Here are the studs and duds for the Cowboys in a narrow win in Week 13.
Stud: CeeDee Lamb
In a game where the All-Pro wide receiver had two uncharacteristic drops, Lamb also made big plays in a monster effort. Lamb got out to a hot start and finished with 12 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown in the win. He also added 30 yards on two carries.
On their first three possessions, Lamb had five receptions for 66 yards and a score, but his drops on back-to-back possessions in the second half felt like crushing blows. However, much like the rest of the team in this game, he wouldn’t let a few bad plays determine the outcome.
The Cowboys continued to go to Lamb in their final two drives to earn the win. Lamb had three catches, one of which came on a critical third down, and totaled 47 yards on Dallas’ final two scoring series which saw them go from down five points, to leading by six. Despite a rough few plays, Lamb came through when it mattered.
Lamb now has six 100-yard games this season, surpassing his career-high five that he compiled during his 2022 breakout campaign.
Stud: Dak Prescott
There isn’t much to squawk about with Prescott these days, and even the haters have to give the Cowboys QB his props after beating a team with a winning record coming into this game. Prescott continued his brilliant play by throwing for 299 yards and three touchdowns, and he now leads the NFL in touchdown passes.
Confirmation from @EpKap that #Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level:
Prescott is the 9th QB with 20 TD passes and 2 INT in single-season, 6-game span.
Six of previous 8 to do it won NFL MVP. pic.twitter.com/ap81ZHidsN
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) December 1, 2023
He was so good in this game that three more of his passes could have been caught for touchdowns if his receivers held onto the passes.
For anyone waiting to see what Prescott would do when his team was down late to cement his MVP resume, he provided the goods. With the Cowboys down 35-27 in the fourth quarter, Prescott led two scoring drives to take the lead in which he was 6-8 for 50 yards and a touchdown. It also included a key two-point conversions and only totaled 11 points because Lamb had a ball go right through his hands that would’ve been a touchdown.
Prescott’s play in this game was on par with how he’s played since the bye week, he’s on another level right now and the Cowboys don’t win if he doesn’t play as well as he did.
Dud: First three quarters from Dallas' defense
This wasn’t what the defense under Dan Quinn has looked like for most of the season, but for three quarters against the Seahawks, it looked like a bad unit. Perhaps the three games in 12 days made them appear tired, but the Cowboys were beaten soundly on most of the night.
The defense gave up 35 points and 406 total yards, and the tone was set early by the Seahawks. One of the league’s best wide receiver’s, DK Metcalf, caught a 73-yard touchdown pass on Seattle’s third offensive play and it was a sign of things to come. The Cowboys’ defense had trouble getting off the field in the first three quarters, allowing the Seahawks to convert on nine of their first 11 third down tries.
Cornerback DaRon Bland had an especially rough game early, allowing six catches on seven targets, for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Seahawks’ offense had averaged 15.25 points in their last four outings and had only scored over 20 points once during that span but put up 35 on their first seven possessions and never punted.
It was a tough night for the Dallas defense through three quarters and 0:43 into the fourth quarter.
Stud: Cowboys' last three defensive series
After starting out so poorly, the Cowboys’ defense made a stand on their last three series. The defense didn’t give up a point and forced three straight possessions for the Seahawks to be turned over on downs to secure the win.
DeMarcus Lawrence made the first big play when the Seahawks were about to make the game difficult for the Cowboys to win. On a fourth-and-one from the Dallas 46-yard line, Pete Carroll went for the first down.
The call was a run with rookie Zach Charbonnet, but it was stopped by a magnificent play from the veteran defensive end. Lawrence lined up wide before beating the offensive line inside to stuff the run before it had a chance. The Dallas offense took that momentum and scored to take the lead when they got the ball back.
The next two defensive stands included one unsung hero from the defense, and another star player owning the moment. Veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis had two impressive plays where he had sticky coverage to prevent catches on third downs before the defense got stops on fourth downs. Lewis has been picked on for much of the year, but this was his best game and his two huge plays contributed to the win.
Do not forget how Jourdan Lewis put a cape on twice, on two consecutive third downs in the 4th quarter, to help save the #Cowboys day when they needed it most.
He was as clutch as a third pedal.
“Just fighting through adversity and doing what the coaches expect me to do.”
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) December 1, 2023
Edge rusher Micah Parsons ensured the win with his speed on fourth down with the game on the line. The Seahawks called for a screen on fourth down to try and extend the game, but they chose the wrong player to try and bait. Parsons came in unblocked as designed and ruined the play by attacking Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith before the screen had a chance to develop. There are fast players, and then there’s whatever Parsons has, and the All-Pro defensive player of the year candidate used it to shut down any chance of a Seahawks comeback.
As bad as they looked for much of the game, the defense for the Cowboys made the big plays and got stops when they needed them.
Stud: Jake Ferguson
The Cowboys have themselves one of the best young tight ends in the game with Ferguson. Against the Seahawks, Ferguson showed the athleticsm, physicality, and attitude the offense lacked with their former starting TE.
Ferguson caught six passes for 77 yards and had the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys were trailing 35-30 and facing a second-and-seven from the 12-yard line when Ferguson ran a wheel route, cut back in front of Seattle safety Jamal Adams, and snagged the fastball from Prescott for the score. It was a great grab from Ferguson, who got the last word on Adams, who tried to jaw with the second-year TE earlier in the game.
This game was another occasion of Ferguson hurdling a defender and showing some swag after an impressive first down catch. Ferguson is continuing his ascension into one of the best young TEs and showing he has some fight in him as well.
