Five Dallas Cowboys things to Watch in Sunday’s game vs. the Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy would like for this to be a normal season with fans in the stands.
Who wouldn’t?
But he is not upset that the Cowboys will play at the Seattle Seahawks in an empty CenturyLink Field on Sunday.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Seahawks are not having fans at the games, which means one of the league’s top home-field advantages will be taking away as usually on the loudest stadiums will be quiet.
The Seahawks will pipe in noise, but it will come nowhere close to the decibels normally generated by the famed 12th man crowd.
Facing an undefeated team with a hot quarterback in Russell Wilson, who has nine touchdown passes and just 11 incompletions in two games, is tough enough; having to do it with no fans makes it a little easier.
“Well I mean, you look at the environment they have created up there it’s tremendous,” McCarthy said. “It’s one of the best home field advantages in football. To be able to go up there and play 11 on 11 is definitely something I have been looking forward to. Hopefully, this will be the only time it ever happens. At the end of the day, it’s still football. This is a huge challenge for us, where we are in our season. It’s important for us to do the right things. But I think stating the obvious, playing up there without noise is definitely preferred.”
Here are five Cowboys things to watch in Sunday’s game against the Seahawks:
Will Amari Cooper start a new positive road trend
One of the more confounding stats regarding receiver Amari Cooper since coming to the Cowboys in a midseason trade with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 is the difference in his numbers at home and on the road.
Cooper has 93 receptions for 1,520 yards at home since the trade, compared to just 53 catches for 575 yards in 13 road games.
The numbers were most pronounced last season when he had 52 catches for 869 yards at home road to just 27 for 320 yards on the road.
All seven of his 100-yard games as a Cowboy have come at AT&T Stadium, including his six-catch, 100-yard effort against the Atlanta Falcons last week.
But it should be noted that Cooper had a Cowboys-high 10 catches for 81 yards in the season opener on the road against the Los Angeles Rams.
They need him to keep that going in Seattle in what should be a shootout.
Dak Prescott vs. Russell Wilson
Sunday’s game is not actually Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott vs. Russell Wilson.
This is not Madden or XBox. They won’t be dueling against each other.
“That’s out of my mind,” Prescott said of his matchup vs. Wilson. “I’ve got all of the faith in my defense going out there and doing their job. But for me, it’s about staying focused on what the Seattle Seahawks defense is going to give us, how we execute. That’s the premier focus and the only focus within a game plan no matter who the quarterback is.”
But let’s not let those facts get in the way of a good story and something everyone is going to be watching.
What’s also true is that Wilson is playing at an MVP level right now and Prescott is not far behind, especially after last Sunday’s dazzling performance in the comeback victory against the Atlanta Falcons.
Can Prescott match Wilson score for score, play for play, throw for throw and run for run, considering both are two of the league’s best mobile quarterbacks who make plays with their legs as well?
The bottom line is that Prescott will need to play well for the Cowboys to win and coach Mike McCarthy is counting on a big effort from the offense against a Seattle defense that ranks last in the league.
He said the formula to winning is to score as fast as they can as often as they can. They will not be trying to milk clock to keep Wilson off the field.
Will simplifying defense help the Cowboys
The Cowboys defense has been a huge disappointment through the first two games and not just because of injuries to linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee.
The pass rush was supposed to be the strength of the unit with DeMarcus Lawrence, Everson Griffen and Aldon Smith.
Yet, the Cowboys have just two sacks and have gotten little pressure on the quarterback.
Mike McCarthy said the team will simplify things on defense with coordinator Mike Nolan’s multiple scheme.
And Lawrence and Griffen will go back to rushing with their hands on the ground rather than from a stand-up position.
“I think that’s Page 32 of the Head Coach 101 manual,” McCarthy said. “When your team has too many mental errors, you cut the volume back. It’s definitely part of the conversations you have as a staff, and it’s definitely something we talked about.
“We are fully aware of the players who played the 3-point exclusively in the past. There is a reason for the 2-point situationally. But at the end of the day, the players will be in the preferred stance and that’s always been the case since the introduction of the defense. We need to do a better job of getting things communicated, getting ready to go and just go play football.”
Can the Cowboys cornerbacks hold up
The situation at cornerback is most acute heading to Sunday’s game as cornerback Chido Awuzie is out multiple weeks after suffering a groin injury against the Falcons last week.
Rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs will play nursing an injured shoulder.
It’s a recipe for disaster against Wilson and big-play Seattle receivers D.J. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and David Moore.
With Anthony Brown on injured reserve with rib injury, the Cowboys will likely start Daryl Worley opposite Diggs with Jourdan Lewis staying in the slot, though Brandon Carr, 34, is also an option.
Worley replaced Awuzie at the end of the Falcons game but has played mostly safety this season. Carr is a career cornerback, but he has seen time mostly at safety as well the past two seasons.
“I’ve been very impressed with both those guys,” McCarthy said of Carr and Worley. “They’re both ready to go. They’re chomping at the bit, and they want to contribute and they want to play. We’ve been working both those guys in at both corner and safety. How it unfolds Sunday, that’s to be seen.”
The Cowboys need to get a win on the road.
Including the season opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Cowboys have lost five straight road games dating back to last season.
The Cowboys were 3-6 on the road in 2019, with losses in five of their last six games away from AT&T Stadium.
It’s an issue that is not lost on coach McCarthy.
“It’s important for us to go get that first road win,” he said. “That is the message and the focus of our football.”
