Fans were treated to an intriguing matchup as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the final preseason game, 27-26, with players fighting for their NFL lives.
It was maybe not surprising that Dallas fell behind quickly given that the Cowboys played mostly backups throughout the whole game while nine of the Seahawks’ 11 offensive starters were on the field early.
However, the squad fought back, leveling the score late in the third quarter, and then recovering from a deficit once more in the fourth to secure the victory.
Dallas’ defensive performance brought back memories of their NFL-leading 34 takeaways from the previous season. In this game, the team collected five points thanks to four interceptions and one fumble recovery.
The Seahawks only converted on one out of five trips into the red zone, while the Cowboys limited Seattle to only a 15 percent third down success rate.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Cowboys’ Will Grier spent the most of the game in the pocket, but he might not have contributed enough to displace Cooper Rush as the backup quarterback. He made inconsistent throws, only managing 88 yards with two touchdown passes for a passer rating of 94.5.
Rush managed just two of his five attempts for 40 yards, although he only participated in one series of plays before the remainder of the evening was over.
Once more, the Cowboys offense did well on the run, gaining a total of 128 yards. Before getting hurt and departing the game late, rookie Aaron Shampklin led the way with 54 yards on 13 carries. Malik Davis continued his outstanding performance in his fight for a spot on the squad by gaining 44 yards on 15 attempts.
The Cowboys totaled 286 yards of offense, but in contrast to their opponents, they were successful in three of their five excursions into the end zone and also converted 38 percent of their third down attempts.
