While the Dallas Cowboys pulled out a 41-35 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium, the team was challenged on its home field for the first time all season.
The six-point margin was by far the smallest margin of victory for Dallas in any of its five home games so far this season. The Cowboys won each of their previous home games by at least 20 points, but the close call could help the team as it moves forward with a demanding schedule.
“Like I told the team after the game, we need games like this,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said during a postgame press conference. “This is what December football looks like. We all understand what’s in front of us. … To get to where you want to go, you have to win these kinds of games, and this was a great example of just hanging in there and keep playing.”
The Cowboys’ defense was challenged from the start as both offenses controlled the game. After a Dallas field goal on the game’s first possession, Seattle struck quickly with a 73-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Geno Smith to wide receiver DK Metcalf, who broke wide open on a slant route and flew past the Dallas defense to take a 7-3 lead and put the Cowboys behind at home for the first time all season.
The Cowboys responded by taking a 10-point lead early in the second quarter, but Seattle came back to take a 21-20 lead at the half after several penalties led to a late touchdown drive.
“I think at halftime, we were frustrated,” McCarthy explained. “We had a lot of penalties called, and I think our guys just knuckled down and played. … Once the fourth quarter came, our guys got it done at the most important time.”
Dallas rose to the occasion in that fourth quarter, scoring 14 points in the final 11:23. Kicker Brandon Aubrey started the rally with a 38-yard field goal to remain perfect on the year and cut Seattle’s lead to five at 35-30. After a crucial stop by the Dallas defense, quarterback Dak Prescott led his team down the field to take the lead as he found tight end Jake Ferguson for a leaping touchdown grab and wide receiver Brandin Cooks for the two-point conversion.
Trailing by three, Seattle tried to mount a sustainable drive but was effectively stopped at their own 49-yard line. The Cowboys added a field goal, but the Seahawks still had a chance with 1:43 remaining.
Seattle drove the ball to midfield in two plays yet could not convert on third and fourth downs. Micah Parsons forced Smith to abandon the pocket and throw the ball into the dirt, turning the ball over on downs and allowing the Cowboys to escape with a win to run their home winning streak to 14 games.
“At the end of the day, this is our home field,” McCarthy added. “We play extremely well here. I’m, frankly, happy to get the win, but your team has to learn and has to be in tight games. How are you going to be good at winning close games if you’re not in them? We’ve had our share of big wins, so this will serve us well moving forward.”
It was a crucial win for the Cowboys, who beat a team with a winning record on their home field for the first time all season and kept pace with the rest of the contenders in the NFC.
“Seattle came to play,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the media. “There’s no question they did. But our guys responded at the end.”
The Cowboys (9-3) will return to the field in a pivotal matchup against the NFC-leading Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) at 7:20 p.m. CT on December 10 at AT&T Stadium.
