Andrew Ortenberg
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Today we’ll be taking a look at the offenses of the Seahawks and Cowboys ahead of their Wild Card round meeting in Dallas this weekend. Both offenses have some similarities in that they’re run through the ground game, and both have caught some flack for being old fashioned at various times this year. Both have started to heat up recently though, and it’ll be interesting to see which unit’s success can continue in the playoffs. Here’s what you can expect from the Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys Offense Analysis.
Seattle
The Seahawks changed offensive coordinators this offseason, and brought in Brian Schottenheimer with the hopes that he could get them back to their roots as a run first team. Ever since Marshawn Lynch left, the Seahawks hadn’t had any semblance of a running game and their offensive line was atrocious. Then came Schottenheimer. He has the offensive line playing very well, and Chris Carson has been a revelation as the engine of the offense.
Carson averaged 4.7 yards per carry this season, and the Seahawks led the league in rushing yards. The emergence of the ground game really opened things up for Russell Wilson in the passing game, and Wilson had his best season in a few years, throwing 35 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
Seattle doesn’t have the most dynamic of exciting offense in the league, but they’re capable of imposing their will on opponent defenses and helping them control the pace of the game. They were able to put up 38 points against the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago for their biggest win of the season, and looked the best they have since their Super Bowl glory days.
Tyler Lockett had a breakout season and led the team with 965 yards and ten touchdowns, and could pose trouble for this Dallas secondary. Dallas has been very good against the run this year but middle of the pack against the pass, so Seattle would be wise to air it out a little more. The Cowboys can be beat deep, so I’d expect Schottenheimer to dial up a few deep shots to Lockett. If he can avoid getting too conservative with stubbornly trying to make the rushing attack work against a very good Cowboys defensive front, the Seahawks offense should have some success here.
Dallas
The Cowboys’ offense took a major step backward in 2017 after Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott burst onto the scene in 2016. They appeared to be stuck in a rut again this year, but everything changed after the team traded for Amari Cooper. After getting Prescott a true number one receiver the offense took off, but I’m still not entirely convinced everything is all good with the offense.
Head coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan still lack any sort of creativity whatsoever, and while Prescott’s stats look nice, he simply hasn’t been that accurate throwing the football. He averaged a mediocre 7.39 yards per pass attempt this year, and his QBR was actually down significantly from last year.
His success over the last month or two of the season had far more to do with the defenses he was playing than anything else. He got to play weak secondaries like Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and others, and didn’t look nearly as good against others. Against Indianapolis the Cowboys were shut out, and Prescott averaged only 5.3 yards per attempt with an interception. The Cowboys’ offense is at its best when Prescott is making plays with his legs, but they haven’t given him many designed runs recently.
Elliott has been better this year than he was last year, but still isn’t the game-changer that he was in 2016. While Seattle’s defense isn’t that good this year, Pete Carroll is still a great defensive mind and gameplanner who will surely throw a bunch of tricks at Prescott.
The bottom line
I think the Seahawks have the edge here. While neither offense has much in the way of creativity, the Seahawks are better at what they want to do. The Cowboys have benefitted from a weak schedule, which has played more of a role in their success than the acquisition of Cooper. Prescott will struggle on the big stage, while Wilson will be his normal poised self.
