Scoring plays: Cowboys beat Seahawks 41-35 on Thursday Night Football
The Dallas Cowboys (9-3) beat the Seattle Seahawks (6-6) 41-35 on Thursday for their third straight victory.
The Cowboys sit in second place in the NFC East trailing the Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) by two games. The Eagles will play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
It was an offensive explosion with 76 points scored between the two teams but the Seattle offense wasn’t able to score when it needed to most at the end of the game.
Dak Prescott had 299 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
FIRST QUARTER
The Dallas Cowboys drove down the field but stumbled after getting into the red zone and a third-down sack of Dak Prescott forced Dallas to settle for a field goal attempt. That 30-yard attempt by Brandon Aubrey was successful. Cowboys lead 3-0 with 9:10 left.
The Seahawks struck quickly scoring on their third play from scrimmage on a 73-yard touchdown catch by DK Metcalf from Geno Smith. Jason Myers made the PAT and the Seahawks lead 7-3 with 7:28 remaining.
The Cowboys answered with a five-play 75-yard touchdown drive aided by a pass interface call on the Seahawks. Prescott threw his first touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb for 15 yards. The Aubrey PAT was good and the Cowboys take a 10-7 lead with 4:48 left.
The Seahawks offense continued finding success in the passing game targeting DaRon Bland for a big gain by Metcalf. However, pressure from Micah Parsons forced Smith to throw the ball away on third down. The Seahawks settled for a 42-yard field goal which Myers missed to the right. Cowboys lead 10-7 with 58 seconds left in the first.
SECOND QUARTER
Cowboys used big plays from Lamb and Tony Pollard in the passing game to get the ball to the two-yard. An ineligible man downfield penalty pushed Dallas back but two plays later Prescott threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks. Aubrey’s PAT was good, Cowboys lead 17-7 with 11:37 remaining.
A pass interference penalty by the Cowboys moved the Seahawks’ offense to the Cowboys’ nine-yard line. A second pass interference call gave the Seahawks the ball at the one-yard line and Seattle scored off a Zach Charbonnet one-yard run. The PAT was good and Seattle trails 17-14 with 8:54 remaining.
Cowboys converted three third downs including a crucial third-and-seven that set them up at the Seahawks’ 10-yard line. The Cowboys scored on fourth and goal but a holding penalty brought the play back. The Cowboys settled for a 31-yard Aubrey field goal. Cowboys lead 20-14 with 1:30 left.
The Cowboys had back-to-back false starts to help the Seahawks convert near midfield. Bland was targeted once again, by Smith, and gave up a 30-yard touchdown by Jaxon Smith-Njigba but the play was overturned upon review. Metcalf had his second touchdown catch of the day on Bland. The PAT was good and Seattle leads 21-20 with four seconds left in the half.
THIRD QUARTER
Charbonnet rushed for 24 yards on the drive and the Seahawks were aided by a facemask penalty that led to a third-and-goal from the Dallas five-yard line that was converted on a run by Smith. The PAT was good and Seattle leads 28-20 with 10:01 left in the third quarter.
Penalties continued to plague the Seattle defense with three on the drive including four that yielded first downs. Prescott hooked up with Lamb and Ferguson to extend the drive. The Cowboys finished the drive off with a six-yard run by Pollard. The Aubrey PAT was good but the Cowboys trail 28-27 with 3:41 left.
FOURTH QUARTER
After a stop by the Seattle defense on fourth down gave the offense the ball the Seahawks capitalized with a five-play 70-yard touchdown drive. Metcalf caught his third touchdown pass of the game, the PAT was good and the Seahawks lead 35-27 with 14:17 remaining.
Lamb drew a pass interference call against Seattle that moved the Cowboys deep into Seahawks territory. The Cowboys got into the red zone with a chance to tie the game with a touchdown but Seattle broke up a third-down pass attempt. Aubrey made a 38-yard field goal to reduce the Seahawks lead to 35-30 with 11:31 remaining.
After a Seattle turnover on downs, the Cowboys got the ball with a chance to take the lead. The Cowboys had a critical third-and-three at the 21-yard line that was converted by a Lamb reception. The Cowboys capped the drive off with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Ferguson. Cooks converted the two-point attempt and Dallas leads 38-35 with 4:37 left.
The Cowboys had a chance to run out the clock but failed to get the final first down they needed so instead settled for a 32-yard field goal by Aubrey. Cowboys lead 41-35 with 1:46 remaining.
PREGAME READING
Clarence Hill: Cowboys hosted Shaquille Leonard for a visit
Dak Prescott speaks about his impending fatherhood
What to watch ahead of the Cowboys-Seahawks game
Give Mike McCarthy props for Dak Prescott’s MVP-caliber season
This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 7:08 PM.
