Week 13 started off in incredible fashion as the Dallas Cowboys kept their home win streak alive with a 41-35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. This was the 14th win in a row for Dallas, who is just four wins away from tying its current franchise record of 18 home victories in a row.
This was the highest-scoring "Thursday Night Football" game of the year, and included a grand total of zero punts. It's just the fifth game in NFL history to not feature a single punt. This matchup also included a whopping 19 penalties. The Cowboys and Seahawks combined for 257 total penalty yards, which are the most in a game this season.
Dak Prescott built on his MVP case with 299 passing yards and three touchdowns. He has now thrown 20 passing touchdowns over the last six games, which are the most in a six-game span in franchise history. CeeDee Lamb was again Prescott's favorite target, catching 12 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown. Jake Ferguson and Brandin Cooks caught touchdowns as well, and Tony Pollard added 68 yards plus a touchdown on 20 carries.
As for the Seahawks, they had fantastic offensive output despite the loss. DK Metcalf caught six passes for a whopping 134 yards and three touchdowns, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba added 62 yards on seven receptions. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had a chance to lead a game-winning drive with 1:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Seattle couldn't move the sticks on fourth-and-2 at the 50-yard line. He finished 23 of 41 passes for 334 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Let's take a look at what went down in Dallas on Thursday night.
Why the Cowboys won
The Cowboys hadn't trailed at home all season until the Seahawks came to town. In fact, Dallas was down 21-20 at halftime. While the defense struggled at times to stop the Seahawks, who, like the Cowboys, did not punt once all game, Prescott and Co. answered every time they were called upon.
Dallas scored on eight of its nine possessions, not counting kneeldowns, with the lone "miss" being a Lamb drop on a fourth-and-2 late in the third quarter. The Cowboys racked up 411 yards of total offense, went 8 of 14 on third downs, did not turn the ball over and won the time of possession battle. Prescott was magnificent with three passing touchdowns, and if he wasn't already in the MVP conversation with his play over the past few weeks, he certainly is now.
Why the Seahawks lost
You could blame the Seahawks defense for failing to contain the Cowboys all night, as their lone stop came via a Lamb drop on fourth down, but Seattle did hold Dallas to 4 of 8 in the red zone. The fact of the matter is that the Seahawks offense -- despite their overall impressive performance -- turned the ball over on downs three drives in a row in the fourth quarter.
Instead of opting for a QB sneak or "tush push" on a fourth-and-1 from the Cowboys' 46-yard line with seven minutes remaining in the game, the Seahawks handed the ball off to Zach Charbonnet, who was stopped for no gain. The Cowboys then went 54 yards on seven plays and stole the lead with a Ferguson touchdown. On their next drive, the Seahawks attempted to convert a fourth-and-4 from their own 49-yard line. Smith had a miscommunication with Smith-Njigba, and his pass attempt fell incomplete. The Cowboys then kicked a 32-yard field goal to extend their lead.
The next drive was Seattle's final possession, and the Seahawks left superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons unblocked off the edge on a fourth-and-2. That ended the game.
Turning point
The Cowboys led for the majority of the first half, but didn't lead in the second half until there were under five minutes remaining. That lead change came courtesy of Ferguson, who got the best of Jamal Adams in one-on-one coverage for this 12-yard touchdown:
After the Cowboys defense forced the Seahawks to turn the ball over on downs on the previous drive, you could feel the momentum shifting.
Play of the game
On the Seahawks' third play from scrimmage, Smith fired a perfect pass to Metcalf in the middle of the field, and he sped away from DaRon Bland for a 73-yard touchdown:
According to Next Gen Stats, Metcalf reached a top speed of 22.23 mph on this touchdown reception. It's the fastest speed recorded by a ball carrier since Week 2 in 2020.
Metcalf actually had the most first-quarter receiving yards (107) vs. the Cowboys since Randy Moss on Thanksgiving in 1998 (his famous three-catch, 163-yard, 3-TD game). The only player with more first-quarter receiving yards against Dallas since 1991 was Jerry Rice in 1995 (129).
What's next
The Seahawks have another road matchup next week, as they travel to Cali to take on the San Francisco 49ers, who defeated Seattle by 18 points on Thanksgiving. As for the Cowboys, they will stay home and host Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles.
