Preview: Seahawks to host Cowboys, Elliot
Week 3 of the NFL Preseason is known as the dress rehearsal game, as it’s the one exhibition game when the starters will play the most. For the Seattle Seahawks, their dress rehearsal will come at home Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
Here is our official preview.
Preseason Preview: Seahawks vs. Cowboys
Keys to the game
Up until now the August has been all about avoiding injuries and letting bubble players and rookies make their case for the roster. Week 3 is a different sort of animal and it’s the one exhibition game that you really want your team to win. Expect to see Russell Wilson and the starters on offense to play into the second half. Last week Wilson was sacked four times in one half, which is too many for comfort. That number has to come down.
Dallas already had a relatively toothless pass rush in 2015. Now that Greg Hardy is (thankfully) gone, the Cowboys don’t have anybody who can really get after a quarterback. The Seahawks offensive line has no excuse not to excel this week. Keeping Wilson off his back at all costs should be considered priority one.
On the other side of the ball, so far Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has been the preseason MVP, but he’s only played against lightweights like Los Angeles and Miami. Prescott hasn’t seen much pressure yet, so it will be interesting to see how he does against a real defense.
Who to watch for the Seahawks
If there has been a surprise of the preseason in Seattle, it’s been the play of their interior offensive line. Mark Glowinski and Germain Ifedi have proven to be powerful, aggressive run blockers and stout pass protectors. What’s really blown us away though has been Justin Britt looking like a stud at center. So far Britt’s issues at right tackle and left guard have not been a problem and he finally appears to be up to pro speed. He’ll get a big test this week as he faces off against Dallas’ highly underrated defensive tackle Cedric Thornton.
As for Seattle’s four-time scoring champion defense, we will be watching defensive end Frank Clark very closely. For the second straight year, Clark has been totally dominant in preseason play. His disruptiveness against Minnesota earned him a nod on Pro Football Focus’ weekly dream team. The Vikings and Chiefs don’t have a line like this, though. Dallas’ front five is bigger and better than any other unit in the league. If Clark can get continue balling out and get consistent pressure on Tony Romo and Dak Prescott it will prove that he’s legitimately unstoppable.
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Who to watch for the Cowboys
Dez Bryant has been ruled out with a concussion, so all eyes will be on Dallas’ first-round pick, running back Ezekiel Elliot. Elliot was taken number four overall in the draft and is widely considered to be one of the best tailback prospects to come along in years. He’ll have the added benefit of running behind the top offensive line in football. Elliot is a powerful runner who makes quick, decisive cuts, but he’s also a tremendous weapon catching passes out of the backfield. He can beat a defense in a variety of ways, so he will provide a good challenge for Bobby Wagner and the Seahawks defense.
On defense, the aforementioned Cedric Thornton is one to keep your eye on. Thornton is a stout defensive tackle who was flying under the radar with the Eagles. He’s a solid run stuffer and can occasionally get pressure up the middle. With Tyrone Crawford also sidelined with a concussion, Thornton could see a lot of one on one action against Seattle’s interior linemen.
When and where to watch
When: Thursday, August 25th 7:00pm Pacific Time
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle WA
Watch: Q13Fox, NFL Network, the internet
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