What We Saw – Seahawks at Cowboys

It was a fantasy extravaganza for all the big names in a TNF shootout

Benjamin Haller
What We Saw 5 Months Ago

Seahawks @ Cowboys

Final Score: Cowboys 41, Seahawks 35

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

Now this is what Thursday Night Football should be every single week! A humdinger of a contest between two teams going all out for the win and two defenses fired up to make big plays. Geno Smith looked like the quarterback who started the season inspired as he sprayed the ball deep early in the game to stretch the Cowboys defense, which then opened up more options in the run game later in the contest. Dak Prescott did his best to keep pace with Smith and some questionable officiating seem to aide the Dallas cause for most of the game. A couple of key mistakes, one notably by CeeDee Lamb in the fourth quarter when he failed to haul in a routine catch on fourth down, looked like it would cost Dallas the game. However, a late flurry from Prescott and some more help from the officials and the Cowboys triumphed against the odds late.

This would have been a much-deserved victory for a determined Seahawks outfit who came in to play to win – they matched the Cowboys in skill position plays and outfought Dallas in the physical game for the majority of the night. Pete Carroll was animated on the sidelines throughout and clearly incensed by the poor officiating late in the game. Fantasy managers left happy, however, as all the main players enjoyed a good night in terms of points.

Three Up

  • DK Metcalf – a big day out for the Seahawks number one threat as he made the Dallas secondary look incompetent on the deep ball all night, a fourth quarter score put his team in the driving seat, his touchdown was his third of the night
  • Dak Prescott – this was the story of two quarterbacks and Prescott showed he had the quality to make the throws to win the game late – his run of elite fantasy production continues
  • Geno Smith – everybody’s favorite quarterback was magnificent for large parts of this game, throwing for three scores and running in for another too – fantasy managers who started Geno will be stoked!

One Down

  • The officials – a terrible night for all the crew with 19 accepted penalties between the teams for a remarkable 257 yards. There were also three flags picked up and a number of no-calls, heavily favoring the Cowboys

 

Seattle Seahawks

 

Quarterback

 

Geno Smith: 23/41, 334 Yards, 3 TDs, INT | 2 Carries, 6 Yards, TD

 

In the end it was a bittersweet night for Smith, who shrugged off a disappointing month with a virtuoso performance against an elite Cowboys defensive unit. Going into the fourth quarter with a lead and the opportunity to cause a huge upset, Smith suddenly looked nervous and indecisive as he turned the ball over on downs on three straight drives, with passing incompletions on fourth down on each drive. Smith did a lot more good than poor though and his deep ball passing was excellent. His ability to work through man coverage and trust his receivers was encouraging to see. He could have easily had four passing scores but a touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba at the end of the first half was overturned on review. Still, Smith’s 30.96 fantasy points are by far his best output of the season. A sneaky rushing score certainly helped matters, his first of the season.

 

Notes

  • Championed the deep ball in the first half in a clear move away from strategy in recent weeks – Geno prior to the last drive of the half was averaging 14.4 yards per passing attempt in the first half.
  • Failed to execute late in the game on passing downs on fourth down three times in the finals three offensive drives – a simple difference between him and his counterpart

 

Running Back

 

Zach Charbonnet: 19 Carries, 60 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 39 Yards

 

Congratulations to rookie running back Charbonnet on his first touchdown in the NFL and for showing he has the makings of a lead back who can also look explosive as a pass-catcher. He ran hard against a stout Cowboys defense and was effective in short yardage when needed, including a touchdown run from a yard out. His biggest contribution aside from his score was a 39-yard catch-and-run that setup a Seahawks score in the second quarter. He continues to benefit from Kenneth Walker‘s absence but he did leave the game in the fourth quarter with a knee bruise so his status for next week should be monitored.

 

DeeJay Dallas: 1 Carry, 6 Yards | 2 Targets

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

DK Metcalf: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 134 Yards, 3 TDs

 

What a dominant showing from the underused star receiver against one of the league’s top secondary units. A couple of deep balls early in the game set the tone for Metcalf, who looked like a man possessed at times on the field. He was focussed, determined and had his sights set on a big night as he emanated serious vibes in his play. Metcalf connected with his quarterback three times in the end zone after previously catching just three scores all season. It was also the wideout’s first 100+ receiving yards outing since Week 3 and it could not have come at a better time, delivering a lovely fantasy surprise for managers going into the Sunday slate of games. Geno and the offense needs this kind of production and game plan every week.

 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 62 Yards

 

The rookie showed what a handful he can be in the first half of this game, jinking away from a tackler on third down and making the yard to gain before inducing a holding call in the end zone on third down to setup the Charbonnet score. His biggest moment came with just seven seconds left in the first half, hauling down a deep throw from Smith and seemingly maintained control of the catch despite the ball clearly hitting the floor and then not moving after he completed the process. Somewhat controversially, the call on the field was overturned. It didn’t matter froma scoring perspective as the Seahawks scored on the next play but it was tough on Smith-Njigba, who deserved to score on this performance.

 

Tyler Lockett: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 47 Yards

 

The veteran wideout made a huge impact in the second quarter by drawing a 40-yard pass interference penalty which set the Seahawks up on the Dallas 9-yard line. The Seahawks eventually punched the ball in from a yard out after rookie Smith-Njigba also provoked a flag in the end zone. He also made a couple of nice grabs on the final drive of the half that setup the throw to Smith-Njigba that was ruled a touchdown before being controversially overturned after a lengthly review. He disappeared in the second half, however and that has been a worrying trend this season. A nice throw from Smith hit Lockett in the helmet on a key drive which could have sealed the game with the Seahawks driving with a five point lead. It was a poor mistake from the veteran, who has officially ceded the WR2 role in Seattle to JSN and his fantasy prospects should be tempered.

 

Noah Fant: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 43 Yards

 

Tight end Noah Fant has been totally off the fantasy radar this season but he made a couple of contributions in a heavier than usual Seattle passing game. Fant laid out for his quarterback on a third quarter reception that went for 25 yards and setup a Seahawks score to make it 35-27 going into the fourth quarter. Fant continues his run of minimal involvement, however as he has only caught more than two balls in a game once since Week 3. He deserves to see more targets with his big-play ability.

 

Jake Bobo: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 9 Yards

Will Dissly: 2 Targets

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback

 

Dak Prescott: 29/41, 299 Yards, 3 TDs, 4 Sacks | 7 Carries, 23 Yards

 

Prescott wasn’t lights out but he did enough and made the plays to his main weapons in the fourth quarter that Smith could not to win the game for his team. Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb 12 times as he peppered him with 17 targets mainly over the middle of the field. He also showed he could take off and make plays with his feet if required. It was an accomplished performance and a healthy fantasy showing. The signal-caller remains an elite fantasy option at the position and with his showing moves to the fantasy QB3 on the year.

 

Running Back

 

Tony Pollard: 20 Carries, 68 Yards, TD | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 15 Yards

 

It was a subdued night for Tony Pollard as the Seahawks interior defensive line got more joy than was expected in preventing the run game. Pollard averaged just 3.4 yards per carry and only had one run over 10 yards all game. He did manage to save his fantasy night with a nice score after a toss from Prescott late in the third quarter with his team down eight. It may have been partly down to the game script that the Cowboys had to throw the ball more to keep up with Geno dealing but Pollard’s 20 carries were his most since Week 3. He ground out some tough yards.

 

Rico Dowdle: 5 Carries, 15 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Jalen Tolbert: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 17 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

CeeDee Lamb: 17 Targets, 12 Receptions, 116 Yards, TD | 2 Carries, 30 Yards

 

After going into the Week 7 bye with just one touchdown, Lamb has emerged as a fantasy starlet in the second half of the season with six touchdowns and four 100+ yard receiving games. He was all over the field in this game and it seemed like he made every type of catch from of every type of route as Prescott found him as the answer to win the game. The key run out of the backfield late in the game virtually settled the contest and it was encouraging to see him get a couple of rushing chances from a fantasy outlook. Lamb is now a top 10 fantasy receiver.

 

Jake Ferguson: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 77 Yards, TD

 

Much like Lamb, burgeoning tight end Jake Ferguson has enjoyed a stellar second half of the year. The big man finished this game second in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the team and made an excellent grab for a score late in the game to put his team ahead. Ferguson is a red zone threat which makes him a fantasy asset and a tight end to roster over the next month. He has four scores in the last six games and the future is bright.

 

Brandin Cooks: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 45 Yards, TD

 

Veteran Brandin Cooks secured all four targets for 45 yards and a touchdown in another solid showing as the second wide receiver in this offense. Cooks also added a two-point conversion catch and he completely outplayed Michael Gallup, who saw just one target in this shootout. Cooks connected with Prescott for a score in the second quarter, making a nice grab after losing his marker at the goal line. Cooks has over 300 yards and three scores in the last four games.

 

Luke Schoonmaker: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards

KaVontae Turpin: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

Michael Gallup: 1 Target

 

Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@justparadesigns on Twitter/X)

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