SportDFW’s Week 2 Dallas Cowboys Predictions
The Dallas Cowboys went into MetLife stadium last week and did exactly what the SportDFW writers thought they would; beat the defending champion New York Giants. The Cowboys were impressive in almost every aspect of the game, and we will see if they continue to improve this week against the Seattle Seahawks. Here are the SportDFW staff’s Dallas Cowboys predictions for this Sunday’s game:
Sept. 8, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) fends off a tackle from Arizona Cardinals linebacker O
They will travel to Seattle (0-1) to take on the Seahawks and their rookie QB Russell Wilson, the popular opinion is the Cowboys will win but lets see what the SportDFW staff has to say about this week’s game.
Ben Fitzgerald (Season 1-0)
The Seahawks will be calling for Matt Flynn by the start of the third quarter when they have 0 points, 13 yards rushing, and 76 yards passing. The offense for the Cowboys will have some three and outs, but hit on a few big plays and score enough off of turnovers and good field position to put this one away safely. Cowboys 24 Seahawks 13
Nathan Stacken (Season 1-0)
Sep 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Tony Romo returns to Seattle for the first time since his botched snap cost the Cowboys a win over the Seahawks in the playoffs. I doubt the game will come down to that again. Seattle has hyped up Russell Wilson, but he was nothing special against the Cardinals last week and the Cowboys defense is much improved. While I still remain skeptical of the Cowboys early in the year, they shouldn’t lose this game, though it will not shock me if they do. Cowboys 24 Seahawks 13
Erasmus (Season 1-0)
Last week I relied on an oracle, so this week I consulted a witch-doctor. The Dallas Cowboys will trounce the Seahawks. They will also win the Super Bowl and the world will be forever changed. For a complete explanation of the glorious future that awaits us all, you can read this post.
Justin Brumit (Season 1-0)
Sept. 9, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) runs the ball in the second quarter against Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE
The Seahawks are an underrated team, they have a solid defense and Russell Wilson may surprise a few people by the end of year, but they are just missing a few pieces to become a good team. Marshawn Lynch sill has lingering back issues, and he had only 85 yards against the Cardinals defense. The Cowboys should be able to focus on shutting down the run while their new talented secondary handles the passing game. You can’t take any team lightly, but if they play like they did against the Giants it wont even be close. The o-line will still have problems but the Cowboys will come out on top in this one. Cowboys 27 Seahawks 13
CowgirlCas (Season 0-0)
Sep 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) runs the ball during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Dallas Cowboys defeat the New York Giants by a score of 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
The Cowboys have a fair to middling chance of beating the Seahawks, but several things will need to go their way. The first priority will be the offensive lines ability to run block properly for DeMarco Murray. The Seattle front 7 held Arizona (who has some solid RB’s) to a mere 27 yards rushing. They are very good against the run, but also have a solid pass rusher in Chris Clemons who will line up on the weak side, but also lines up in the interior and on the strong side. Tyron Smith and Doug Free will have to do a better job of sealing the edge. The noise in Seattle will have an ill affect on the cohesiveness of the Cowboys OL. They will have to try and minimize the false start penalties even more so under these loud conditions. The Sehawks impose a formidable run threat in Marshawn Lynch. Their Center Max Unger is very strong at the point of attack and Josh Brent will have to bring his “A” game.
Sep 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Dallas Cowboys defeat the New York Giants by a score of 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Rob Ryan will have to be more careful with his blitz packages because they could end up getting burnt by Lynch. Dallas has the advantage at the QB position as Wilson is a rookie and they also have better receivers because Golden Tate has had injury issues. Josh Brent will need to win the battles against Unger to prevent Wilson from being able to step up. However, Wilson has proven that he can be effective from outside the pocket as well. The key factors to winning this game will be in the trenches. If Seatlle can shut down Murray and the Cowboys can’t shut down Lynch, it will be a long night. In the event that Murray is shut down, the pass protection for Romo will be imperative. The secondary should be ok as Az doesn’t have impact receivers like Nicks and Cruz, but If the D can’t get pressure on Wilson, even average WR’s will get open. I predict a Cowboys win, but I don’t see this being a high scoring game. Seattle has a better secondary than NY which may hinder what Romo can do with his arm. I am thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of 17-14 Dallas. Providing they can contain Lynch.
Seattle will be loud on Sunday and the team will be looking to not start 0-2, but the belief around here is they just wont have enough firepower to stay with the Cowboys. The Cowboys need to take care of teams they should beat if they want this season to be different than the last, although September never has been a problem has it?
C. Joseph Wright (Season 1-0)
The Cowboys are better than the Seahawks at all the skill positions, and they have a better defense. If this game was in Dallas, it would be a blow-out. Playing in Seattle could be a challenge for an offensive line that has a history of false start problems. Despite that challenge, the Cowboys should win by at least a TD.
Matt Barbour (Season 1-0)
As Admiral Ackbar would say, “IT’S A TRAP!” In week one the Cowboys earned an emotional victory on the road against the New York Football Giants, a team that:
- is the defending Super Bowl Champions
- is a divisional opponent
- they were an underdog against
- has had Dallas’ number in recent seasons
This Sunday, the Cowboys travel to the opposite coast to take on a team that:
- they play only once every few years
- starts a rookie QB
- they are favored against
- has a famously loud fan section (sorry, though, the 12th Man lives in College Station)
This game will be far closer than many pundits are predicting. The ‘Hawks play their best at home and the Dallas front seven should expect to see a healthy dose of Marshawn “You don’t want to see me go Beast mode” Lynch. If the Dallas secondary starts seeing too much of him, the Cowboys could be in real trouble. The Seahawks’ corners will matchup better with Dallas wide receivers than the Giants did last week and Jason Witten is still not 100%, so I don’t see another 300-yard game for Tony Romo.
Luckily for Cowboys fans, though, rookie Seattle QB Russell Wilson will be running for his life anytime he goes back to pass and should be good for at least two interceptions and a fumble. The defense will keep it close and DeMarco Murray will grind out the important yards late in the fourth quarter to lead the Cowboys to a hard-fought 20-17 victory.
Join the SportDFW Nation! If you are not following us on Facebook & Twitter, the Seahawks fans are winning.