Seahawks offense gets going, lead is now 20
After not doing much in the first half, Russell Wilson and his offense are enjoying a much better second half. Following a 90-yard scoring drive, the Seahawks drove 88 yards on their next possession, and went up 27-7 on a three-yard Marshawn Lynch run. Overall this has been a very solid performance across the board for Seattle. Special teams got things going with some big plays, the defense has been very good since allowing that 95-yard touchdown drive in the first half, and the running game, and offense as a whole, has picked up considerably in the second half.
This will do it for this post unless something crazy happens in the final couple of minutes. I’ll be back with some postgame news, quotes, etc. a little later.
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense heating up
The Seahawks now lead 20-13 after a 22-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to tight end Anthony McCoy. The big play on that drive prior to the score was a 36-yard run by Marshawn Lynch, and overall the offense looked significantly better on that 90-yard drive than it has the in the six-plus quarters leading up to it.
Seattle currently has 110 yards rushing and 110 yards passing. Those aren’t huge numbers, but that’s the kind of balance Pete Carroll is looking for out of an offense.
Halftime, Seahawks lead 13-7
No scoring since I last check in, but a nice job by the defense to keep the Cowboys from doing anything in a two-minute situation.
As mentioned earlier, Seattle is winning this game largely because of special teams play, not because it has been dominating the Cowboys. In fact, Dallas has outgained the Seahawks 211 to 118 and has 11 first downs to Seattle’s five.
Russell Wilson was 9 of 12 for 85 yards int he first half, good for a quarterback rating of 94.1. Tony Romo was 14 of 26 for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception and a passer rating of 71.0. Marshawn Lynch led the Seahawks in rushing, though he had just 22 yards on 10 carries. DeMarco Murray had 36 yards on eight carries to lead Dallas. Sidney Rice is Seattle’s leading receiver 33 yards on three catches, while Miles Austin leads Dallas with 48 yards on four catches, including a 22-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Seattle will start the second half with the ball.
2-minute warning
The Seahawks defense allowed Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense to drive 95 yards on 15 plays to cut the Seahawks lead to 10-7. The biggest issue for the defense was getting off the field on third down. The Cowboys converted third-and-six or longer four times on that drive, including a third-and-13.
Seattle’s next possession was a three and out, but so was Dallas’ (thanks to a very nice hit from Earl Thomas that kept Dez Bryant from converting another third down). The Seahawks offense showed some life after that, with Russell Wilson looking much more sharp than he had earlier in the half. Three penalties on the drive slowed things down, however, and the Seahawks had to settle for a field goal that made it 13-7.
One thing worth noting on that drive, J.R. Sweezy came in at right guard for John Moffitt. Sweezy started the opener, but Moffitt, who is coming back from elbow surgery, was named the starter this week. Pete Carroll did say, however, that Sweezy would likely play some, so his presence doesn’t mean anything is wrong with Moffitt, who did not appear to suffer an injury.
End of 1st quarter
The Seahawks lead 10-0 after one quarter, thanks in large part to some incredibly good special teams play. Michael Robinson forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, which Earl Thomas recovered. The offense couldn’t do much with that, however, which led to a field goal. After the Seahawks defense forced a three-and-out, Malcolm Smith blocked a punt, which Jeron Johnson was able to pick up and walk into the end zone to give Seattle a 10-0 lead. Punter Jon Ryan also pinned Dallas at its own 5-yard line with a punt.
Seattle’s offense, however, is off to a less impressive start. After failing to turn that first turnover into more than a field goal, the offense went three-and-out on its next possession, which started near midfield thanks to a Brandon Browner interception. Russell Wilson had Golden Tate open deep on the first play of that drive, but under-threw Tate with DeMarcus Ware providing pressure.
Seattle’s defense has also had issues getting off the field (other than that pick) allowing the Cowboys to convert four of five third downs so far.
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