IRVING, Texas - The Seattle Seahawks are 2-9, having lost seven of their last eight games, and, barring a miracle winning streak, have no chance this season of returning to the playoffs, where they have been for the past five seasons. Yet, as evidenced by their performance against the Washington Redskins this past Sunday, Seattle can be a very difficult team - especially when healthy. Still, this is a struggling NFC West squad the Cowboys must beat at 3:15 p.m. (CST) on Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium if they have any hopes of continuing a second-half run into the playoffs themselves.
What's Up?
Even though the Seahawks only own two wins against the 3-8 San Francisco 49ers and the 2-9 St. Louis Rams, their three-point home loss to the Redskins this past Sunday had to raise some eyebrows in the Cowboys' locker room. Seattle was tied with Washington late in the fourth quarter and even had a chance to engineer a game-winning drive, but a Matt Hasselbeck interception ruined a comeback opportunity. The Seahawks ran for 139 yards and held Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell to just 206 passing yards in the 20-17 defeat. Despite its efforts, Seattle has still dropped its last four games and will head into Texas Stadium with only one road win this season.
While a 35-22 victory against the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday gave the Cowboys their seventh win of the season, it didn't come at a discounted price. In the Texas Stadium rout, Cowboys left guard Kyle Kosier (foot), cornerback Mike Jenkins (hamstring) and safety Pat Watkins (neck) all suffered injuries that might keep them out of this Thursday's matchup. Pair those injuries with Felix Jones' toe and Miles Austin's knee, along with Terence Newman's groin and Tony Romo's pinkie causing them to play at less than 100 percent, and the Cowboys certainly won't be playing with a full deck of cards on Thanksgiving. The team has pulled out a victory in three of its last four games, though, and has won its last two Turkey Day matchups by an average margin of 29.5 points.
Statistical View
The Cowboys are 25-14-1 all-time on Thanksgiving and are 1-1 when playing the Seahawks on the holiday. In the past four seasons, the Cowboys have compiled a 4-1 record when playing on Thursdays.
The NFC West's third-place Seahawks rank 25th or worse in the NFL in seven major statistical categories. They are the worst team in the league at possessing the ball, averaging just 25:30, and rank second-to-last in total yards per game with 251.5.
For a while, it looked as if all Seahawks running back Julius Jones needed for success was a change of scenery. But after picking up 312 yards on 61 carries in Seattle's first three games, the former Cowboy has only compiled 316 yards on 80 carries in his last eight outings. Jones averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in his four-season stint with the Cowboys (2004-07).
Even though Miles Austin and Felix Jones weren't listed as starters on this Cowboys squad when they were healthy, the impact the two had on the Cowboys kick return unit cannot be overlooked. In 32 returns, the two compiled 789 yards and averaged nearly 25 yards per return. Their replacements, cornerback Orlando Scandrick and receiver Isaiah Stanback, are averaging just 17.8 yards on their 11 attempts.
Chalk Talk
While a lot of the Seahawks passing woes stem from starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's back injury, the team has still struggled to put the ball in the air even with his return. In the two games Hasselbeck has been back in the starting lineup, he's thrown for only 273 yards. To make matters worse, the three-time Pro Bowler has even thrown five interceptions, fumbled the ball once and has been sacked four times in those two games. Seattle ranks second-to-last in the NFL in passing yards per game, averaging an abysmal 140.4 yards, and in the six games Hasselbeck has started this season, he has failed to throw for more than 190 yards.
That's good news for a Cowboys secondary which has struggled at times this season. San Francisco quarterback Shaun Hill recorded his first-career 300-yard passing game against the Cowboys this past Sunday, and Dallas' defensive backs have only been responsible for four interceptions this season. Still, the Cowboys do rank 11th in the league allowing 196.2 passing yards per game, and should be able to have a big day against the struggling Hasselbeck.
Unlike Hasselbeck, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has had an immediate impact on the offense in his return from injury. In the two games he's played since suffering the pinkie fracture, Romo has amassed 539 passing yards and four touchdowns. Against the Seahawks this Thursday, Romo should continue that trend. Seattle is giving up 259.2 yards through the air - second-worst in the NFL - and has recorded only five interceptions.
Despite their struggles to stop the pass, the Seahawks are surprisingly good at rushing the passer. Through 11 games, Seattle has compiled 26 sacks, the ninth most in the NFL. Linebacker Julian Peterson and defensive end Patrick Kearney share the team lead with five sacks apiece, but will have to get by a Cowboys offensive line that has allowed just eight sacks in the eight games Romo has started this season.
Connections
Seahawks running back Julius Jones is a former second-round pick of the Cowboys in 2004 ... Cowboys Pro Bowl safety Ken Hamlin recorded eight interceptions and four sacks in Seattle from 2003-06 ... One of the most underrated players in the NFL, Seahawks long-snapper Jeff Robinson consistently spiraled snaps to Cowboys punters from 2002-04 ... Seattle special teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven coached the Cowboys special teams in 2003-06 ... Seahawks offensive line coach Mike Solari was on the Cowboys coaching staff way back in 1987-88 ... Cowboys offensive line coach Hudson Houck made his second career coaching stop in the pros with Seattle in 1992.
Miscellaneous
The combined record of the Cowboys' four opponents following the Seahawks is 30-13-1 . . . In the six years Fox Network has handed out the Galloping Gobbler award to the Thanksgiving Day MVP, three Cowboys (Emmitt Smith, Julius Jones and Tony Romo) have won it . . . The NFC West has a combined record of 14-30, yet the Cowboys are 1-2 in games against that division . . . A Cowboys win secures at least a .500 record for the 34th time in club history . . . Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams has blocked three kicks (two field goals and one extra point) in Thanksgiving Day games . . . Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens needs just 112 yards to pass Chris Carter for the sixth-most receiving yards in NFL history.
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