Seahawks-Cowboys: Vision Board

How Leonard Williams, DK Metcalf, Jason Myers can upset the Cowboys: Seaside Joe 1732

The Seattle Seahawks desperately need a win, but Thursday’s obstacle between Pete Carroll and avoiding a fourth loss in five weeks also happens to be the best home team in the NFL, a Dallas Cowboys franchise riding high on three straight blowout victories.

Can the Seahawks stay in a wild card spot by beating the Cowboys? Maybe not without a little help from the universe.

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In the latest edition of Vision Board for Seahawks-49ers, I foresaw:

Devon Witherspoon has an INT and a ‘moment’

Jaxon Smith-Njigba hits 100 yards

Christian McCaffrey held to under 80 yards and 0 TD

I felt so good about my vision board the previous week against the Rams that it seems the universe had to strike back with full force. McCaffrey had 139 yards and two scores, JSN had 41 yards, Witherspoon was fine but certainly had no moments. 0-for-3 brings my season vision total to:

16-of-33

Going to Dallas to play the Cowboys and both teams have had a full week to prepare instead of the usually short Thursday slate, we’re going to need all Seasiders to come together to put good vibes into the universe. The Cowboys are beating teams at home by an average of well over 20 points per game and the Seahawks have lost their last three contests away from Pike Place Market.

I’ve already put it out there that I could see the Seahawks making the move of moves this week and testing Drew Lock if the games gets ugly. Setting that aside, what else can we put on our vision boards to try and help Seattle get a significant boost to their playoff hopes with an upset?

In the interest of the Seahawks doing alright, alright, alright in Texas, we will dedicate this week’s visions to Matthew McConaughey.

(And if I was doing something on the quarterbacks this week, the headline for Lock’s vision would be Drew Detective.)

Dallas Myers Club

If there is a theme in the Cowboys’ three losses this season, it is a defensive collapse that essentially hasn’t occurred in any of Dallas’s other eight games this season:

In Week 5’s 42-10 loss to the 49ers, the Cowboys gave up six touchdowns, including four on passes by Brock Purdy and three scores for tight end George Kittle.

In Week 9’s 28-23 loss to the Eagles, Philadelphia scored four touchdowns, including three by quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Surprisingly, in neither of those games did the Dallas opponent even attempt a field goal. They scored a combined 10 touchdowns and had their way with the Cowboys defense in those two games. That’s 10 touchdowns in two losses, three touchdowns in a loss to the Cardinals, and just nine touchdowns in Dallas’s other eight games combined!

But the Eagles and 49ers are considered the two best teams in the NFC, if not the two best teams in the NFL. How did the Arizona Cardinals slip by with a 28-16 win in Week 3? In part thanks to an assist by special teams.

On the Cardinals opening touchdown, an offsides penalty by Dallas convinced Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon to go for two, but they were stopped. They went for two on the next score to make up the points, but failed again. At that point, the score was 15-3. The Cowboys would cut the score to 15-10 in the second quarter, but Arizona kicker Matt Prater kept the Cardinals ahead for the rest of the game.

Prater was good from 43 on the next drive, then following a 19-yard punt return by Arizona’s Greg Dortch, Prater nailed a kick from 62(!) to end the half, giving the Cardinals a 21-10 lead. Arizona would eventually win 28-16 and Prater went 3-of-3 on kicks, picking up his 19th career Special Teams Player of the Week award for his efforts.

How about Jason Myers wins the next one?

The Vision: Jason Myers is perfect on field goals, including 3 of 50+

Myers was tasked with an exceptionally difficult kick to try and beat the Rams, but didn’t make it and Seattle lost two weeks ago. Other than that, Myers had made his last three kicks beyond 50 yards. He hit from 51 last Thursday, but missed from 53 at the end of the half.

Still, Myers is one of the best kickers in the NFL and he came into the season having made 19-of-24 attempts beyond 50+ in his previous five seasons. He’s 4-of-8 this year, which isn’t ideal, but the conditions haven’t always been ideal either. Kicking in a dome at AT&T Stadium—and playing for a team that may not have as much offensive success on Thursday as Pete Carroll, Shane Waldron, and Geno Smith would prefer—it could be up to Myers to keep the Seahawks in the contest.

That’s why I’m putting a perfect night and multiple long-distance field goals for Jason Myers on my vision board.

With a pun like “Dallas Myers Club” at my disposal, how could I not?

How to Lose a Game to DK

If there is a single star for the Dallas Cowboys defense this season, it is not Micah Parsons, who has 11.5 sacks and 23 QB hits. It’s second-year cornerback DaRon Bland, a recent fifth round pick out of Sacramento State and Fresno State who is making 2022 Riq Woolen look like 2023 Riq Woolen.

Taken 14 picks after Woolen, Bland has 12 career interceptions (5 in 2022, 7 in 2023) and he’s set an NFL record with five pick-sixes in a single season this year. There’s a lot of season left and Geno Smith is trying to avoid being number six.

Bland has a pick in four of the last five games and unlike injured teammate Trevon Diggs, he doesn’t seem to be as susceptible to giving up the play. Even setting aside the picks, Bland has been better than Devon Witherspoon in coverage this season. Adding in the picks, Bland is the best corner in football right now.

And he only had two picks at Fresno State as a senior.

So give credit to Bland and the Cowboys defense for the remarkable job they’re doing this season: Dallas is fourth in points allowed, second in passing yards allowed, third in interceptions, and fourth in yards per pass attempt allowed.

But I have to pick SOMEBODY on Seattle’s offense to star on the star, and DK rhymed with “10 Days” (kind of) so we’re going with him.

The Vision: DK Metcalf has 101 yards, 1 TD

The most receiving yards by any player against the Cowboys this season is exactly 100. Metcalf beats that by 1.

Metcalf has just a single 100-yard game this season, but it’s kind of reaching that now-or-when? point with seeing him show out to dominate on a national scale. If not this week against the Cowboys, the NFL’s most-watched team for years, at what point will Metcalf prove he can be as good as college teammate A.J. Brown? That’s not a status I would put on anybody…unless they made $24 million per year.

Said Metcalf of Bland this week: “He’s got more touchdowns than me.”

You are correct.

Metcalf has only four 100-yard games in the last three regular seasons combined. He did have 110 yards and a touchdown the last time he played the Cowboys, but that was in 2020. The Seahawks need somebody to step up if they have any shot against the Cowboys, so putting that on the player who makes the most money would be a good place to start.

(Metcalf is on the injury report, but expected to play.)

A Time to Will

As a former member of the Giants, Leonard Williams has seen plenty of the Dallas Cowboys, including a Week 1 loss by a 40-0 score. At least Seattle has some intel on the roster of how ugly things have been for opponents at AT&T Stadium.

Williams will need to lead that way for the Seahawks defense to not be the next victim. He’s had at least one good experience against the Cowboys.

In a season finale win over the Cowboys in 2020, 23-19, Leonard Williams had three sacks, five QB hits, and a batted pass in New York’s razor thin victory over Dallas. To be fair, Andy Dalton was the starter that day, so Seattle just needs him to pretend that Dak Prescott is a redhead.

Williams was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

The Vision: Leonard Williams has 2 sacks, 1 FF

In four games with the Seahawks, Williams has a sack and three QB hits, but he’s also eating up a ton of space and doing plenty that won’t show up on a box score. The Cowboys have a clean bill of health this week and one of the top offensive lines in the league. Upsets require winning matchups you’re not supposed to, so I say for a vision board you just pick one and spin it.

Williams has been excellent in his time with the Seahawks. I’ll take my chances.