There was plenty on the line as Dallas looked to prove themselves against a formidable opponent on Thursday night as Seattle looked to keep their playoff hopes alive. Only one of those ended up happening.
The Dallas defense could not keep Seattle out of the end zone, leaving the winning to the offense. Thankfully for the Cowboys, the offense delivered. Spearheaded by the hottest player in the league QB Dak Prescott, the Seahawks had to munch down the Cowboys’ fifth 40 burger of the year and fly back to the Pacific Northwest on the losing end of a 41-35 battle.
Dak Prescott completed 26 of 34 passes against zone coverage for a season-high 256 yards & 3 TD.
Prescott has thrown a league-high 10 TD vs zone coverage since the Cowboys Week 7 bye after throwing none in the first 6 games of the season.#SEAvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/OJbCIjqWdO
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 1, 2023
Prescott finished the day with 299 passing yards, three scores through the air, and a score on the ground that was called back for holding. This wasn’t his flashiest game statistically, thanks to two end zone drops, but he captained the offense in clutch situations to squeak out a victory.
A 7-3 deficit after a quick Seattle touchdown, Dallas quickly returned the favor. In just six plays and under three minutes, the drive concluded in what feels like an inevitable Prescott to WR CeeDee Lamb touchdown.
Dak Prescott & CeeDee Lamb (15-yd TD)
The touchdown pass was Prescott's 15th TD targeting a vertical route since Week 8. No other QB has more than 11 vertical route TDs all season.
đź“ş: https://t.co/1OMRlplD2C pic.twitter.com/uyvD0SLyjD
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 1, 2023
Entering the second quarter, Prescott dipped into his Houdini bag to keep the drive alive and connect with RB Tony Pollard for a 12-yard gain.
Dak Prescott “12-yard completion” to Tony Pollard pic.twitter.com/HTsjsvbpDR
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 1, 2023
Later that drive, the white-hot WR Brandin Cooks continued his run of good form with a wide-open catch for a touchdown on a great read from Prescott.
Dak cooking, Cooks catching đź’°
(via @dallascowboys)pic.twitter.com/Zof0tsNJBP
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 1, 2023
Skipping ahead to the fourth, Dallas finds themselves down eight needing points to keep the game within reach. On 1st-and-10, Prescott pulls more magic out of nowhere and escapes a sack to keep Dallas driving downfield.
Weight room đź’Ş @dak
📺: Prime & NFL+ → https://t.co/yLMhJNTZjs pic.twitter.com/4HclKnmG7q
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 1, 2023
Now only down five, Dallas needed a touchdown to take their first lead since the second quarter. Prescott drove the offense downfield efficiently to set up this all-too-easy pitch and catch with TE Jake Ferguson. This makes the score 38-35 after Prescott and Cooks connect on a two-point conversion.
In front courtesy of @jqfergy11 & @dak đź’Ą
📺: Prime & NFL+ → https://t.co/yLMhJNTZjs pic.twitter.com/Fca7YXHjmR
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 1, 2023
Two ensuing defensive stops and a field goal would ice the game for Dallas and move them to 9-3 on the season.
When asked to describe the victory in his postgame interview QB Dak Prescott replied immediately, “We needed this” as he was nearly drowned out by MVP chants from fans in the background.