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ARLINGTON — The Dallas Cowboys gave up points on the opponent’s opening drive, as they did a week ago. But this time, as the Seattle Seahawks were driving for a field goal to take the first lead of Sunday’s game, it wasn’t easy for the ball to get where it was going.
Halfway through the drive, safety Gerald Sensebaugh nearly had an interception.Later, defensive end Steven Bowen knocked down a pass on third down to force the field goal.The plays were prime examples of the disruptiveness the Cowboys defense would exhibit in a 38-17 victory at Cowboys Stadium. Outside linebacker Anthony Spencer knocked down a pass in the second quarter, and inside linebacker Bradie James knocked down another in the fourth quarter. Cornerbacks Terence Newman and Orlando Scandrick each got credit for two pass breakups, and the Cowboys recorded 11 by eight players.“We got good pressure from the front seven,” Sensebaugh said. “When you get pressure from the front seven, you force errant throws and you’re able to get hands on the ball. The front seven is creating a lot of havoc.”The Cowboys got their hands on the ball, although none stuck long enough to become interceptions. But they did force and recover two fumbles on sacks by Newman and James. For the second consecutive game, it put the Cowboys on the positive side of the turnover margin (2-to-1).Bowen smiled as he remembered his pass knockdown. Couldn’t it have been an interception?“Yeah, I keep replaying it in my head,” he said. “But I didn’t want to tip it and maybe have them catch it. So I just tried to knock it down.” On paceThe Seahawks used a hurry-up offense to score on their first drive, and they had to like the results.They ran 14 plays and faced third down only twice, moving all the way from their 6 to get in range for Olindo Mare’s 43-yard field goal. Tight end John Carlson caught an 18-yard pass, one of four big plays in the drive.But the Cowboys, who have not been at their best against uptempo offenses, weren’t unhappy with the way they reacted to the pace.“They caught us a couple of times, but we’ve got defenses for when we get in a situation like that,” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “(Matt) Hasselbeck is very good at it. You just have to not allow the uptempo stuff to get going and make good plays.”Orlando Scandrick said every defensive call came in on time from the sideline.“It’s just communicating,” he said. “Even if we don’t get a call, we’ve got a call we can make.”Rush defenseThe Cowboys believe they must stop the run before they do anything else – or can do anything else.So the knee injury of nose tackle Jay Ratliff was a prime concern. But on the first play of the Seahawks’ first drive, Ratliff didn’t look like he was slowed down. He stopped Julius Jones for a 1-yard loss and helped the Cowboys limit the running game.“But Ratliff did not give away how limited he was on the injured knee, if at all.“I don’t want to tell you that,” he said.The Seahawks finished with 79 rush yards. The Cowboys came in ranked 16th in the league in rushing defense at 109.3 yards per game.Carlos Mendez, 817-390-7407
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