SEATTLE (6-5) at DALLAS (8-3)
Thursday, 8:15 EST, Amazon Prime
BETTING LINE: Cowboys by 9, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Seahawks 5-6; Cowboys 8-3.
SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 11-10.
LAST MEETING: Seahawks beat Cowboys 38-21 on Sept. 27, 2020, in Seattle.
LAST WEEK: Seahawks lost to 49ers 31-13; Cowboys beat Commanders 45-10.
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (26), PASS (17), SCORING (T19).
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (21), PASS (22), SCORING (22).
COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (13), PASS (5), SCORING (1).
COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (13), PASS (2), SCORING (4).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Seahawks plus-2; Cowboys plus-7.
SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Geno Smith. Coach Pete Carroll called out his offense in a subtle way after the Seahawks failed to score an offensive touchdown in the loss to the 49ers. They have gone 20 consecutive possessions without an offensive touchdown. While the game plans have been unimaginative, Smith is not immune from blame the past couple of weeks. Smith needs to have a good game and find the end zone to quiet concerns and critics.
COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Tony Pollard is coming off his fourth game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage after getting 79 rushing and 24 receiving against Washington. The rushing total was his second best, behind Pollard's only 100-yard game in his first season as the lead back following the offseason release of two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard has a touchdown each of the past two weeks after getting shut out in eight consecutive games following the opener.
KEY MATCHUP: Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf vs. Cowboys CB DaRon Bland. They may not be matched up on each other all the time because the Cowboys are just as confident in their other outside cornerback, Stephon Gilmore. But Metcalf had his second career 100-yard game in his only other meeting with the Cowboys in 2020, and Bland just set an NFL record with his fifth interception return for a touchdown this season. Bland has a pick-6 each of the past two games. The Seahawks would like to get Metcalf going again, since he's coming off a season-low 32 yards receiving.
KEY INJURIES: The Seahawks expect to have RT Abe Lucas back for the first time since Week 1. He has been out with a knee issue. ... RB Kenneth Walker III left the loss two weeks ago against the Rams in the first quarter with an oblique injury. Walker’s return seems likely to be next week at San Francisco following the extended break. ... Cowboys S Jayron Kearse should return after missing a game with a back issue.
SERIES NOTES: While Dallas has a slight edge overall, the Seahawks have won five of the past six regular-season meetings. The Cowboys won a playoff matchup at home during the 2018 season.
STATS AND STUFF: The Cowboys have won 13 consecutive home games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the club's longest since an 18-game run at old Texas Stadium from 1979-81. Dallas is the first team in league history to win each of its first five home games in a season by at least 20 points. ... The Seahawks are playing consecutive Thursday games for the first time in franchise history. Seattle dropped to 10-4 on Thursday night last week against San Francisco. Dallas, which has played on Thanksgiving almost every year since 1966, is playing Thursday-Thursday after the holiday for the eighth time since 2016. It would have been nine without a COVID-19 delay in 2020. ... The Seahawks are wearing their throwback uniforms from the 1990s for the second time this season. They beat Cleveland 24-20 in Week 8 the first time they were worn. ... Since 2012, the Seahawks are 45-20 following a loss and have the best winning percentage (.692) of any team in the league. ... Smith has only three games with a passer rating above 100 this season. Counterpart Dak Prescott has five triple-digit ratings in the past six games. ... RB Zach Charbonnet rushed for 47 yards on 14 carries in his first career start last week. ... With his next touchdown, WR Tyler Lockett will pass Curt Warner and move into fourth place on Seattle's career list. Lockett and Warner are tied with 62. ... The Seahawks allowed a season-high six sacks last week against the 49ers. ... DE Boye Mafe set a franchise record with sacks in seven consecutive games earlier this season but hasn't brought down the QB the past two games. ... LB Jordyn Brooks returned the first interception of his career 12 yards for a touchdown last week against San Francisco. It was his first career touchdown and the only TD in the loss for the Seahawks. ... K Jason Myers has made at least one field goal in 26 consecutive games. ... The Cowboys' Prescott has an NFL-leading four games this season with at least 300 yards passing and three touchdowns. ... WR CeeDee Lamb has at least one touchdown in three of the past four games. He is third in the NFL with 1,066 yards. The fourth-year player's highest previous finish was sixth last season. ... Bland, who had a career high with 10 tackles against the Commanders, leads the NFL with seven interceptions, including one in each of the past three games. ... Micah Parsons had a game-sealing sack late in a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers to avoid a third consecutive game without a sack. That sparked a run of at least one sack in five of the past six games. He's the third player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to have at least 11 1/2 sacks in each of his first three seasons. ... K Brandon Aubrey has missed an extra point each of the past two weeks. But the 28-year-old rookie's NFL-record streak of consecutive made field goals to start a career is still intact at 22.
FANTASY TIP: With two TD passes, Prescott will tie his career-best streak of six consecutive games with at least that many. He has tied Tony Romo's franchise record of 10 games with at least four TD passes. Three of them have come in the past five games.
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