The Sports Xchange

RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks are looking to build upon an encouraging performance against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 and get back to .500 before their bye when they travel to face the Dallas Cowboys this week.

“I feel horrible about that we’re still there, we’re still trying to get there (to .500),” head coach Pete Carroll said of his 3-4 team. “It’s too long into the season, but if we can turn it now and get that going, then we’ll try to make a big push and keep focusing.

“It’s one week at a time. None of these games are more important than the only one we’ve got right now. So we’re going to crank it up for that one and we’ll see where we are after that.”

Seattle thoroughly dominated the 49ers in a 20-3 victory in Santa Clara on Oct. 22 that saw the defense hold San Francisco to just 142 total yards in the game. Now they face a reeling Cowboys team that has lost four straight games since losing quarterback Tony Romo to injury.

But even without Romo playing, the Seahawks aren’t taking the Cowboys lightly.

“They’re a great program and a great team, and a great place to play and all,” Carroll said. “They’re a very hungry team too. A team that really calls on us to play really solid football because they can run it like crazy, they pass pro well, they’re aggressive on defense, and a very well-balanced football team. So this is a good matchup for us.”

After losing two straight games to Cincinnati and Carolina, the Seahawks finally put together a complete effort against the 49ers without the dreaded fourth quarter collapse seen in all four losses this season.

The offense scored a touchdown in the red zone and improved slightly in third down conversion rate, which were two areas that had hampered Seattle in its defeats. If not for two poor interceptions from quarterback Russell Wilson, the offensive output likely would have been much improved.

The Seahawks are expected to get some pieces back this weekend that should help from a depth perspective. Seattle has had just one healthy player declared inactive the last two weeks as the rest of the inactive list has been filled with players battling injuries. With the bye week set to follow, the Seahawks will look to enter the second half of the season extremely healthy if they can get away unscathed in Dallas.

It’s still yet to be seen if Seattle will have to face Dez Bryant on Sunday. The Cowboys’ star wide receiver has been out since suffering an injury in Week 1, but returned to limited participation in practice on Wednesday. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has faced Bryant in the past and said he looks forward to the challenge of facing him if he’s able to play.

“He’s an explosive player, he’s a great player, he catches the ball high. He goes and attacks the ball. You have to be very physical every play, you have to be on your toes every play or else he’s going to beat you,” Sherman said.

Bryant is one of few players that has caused Seattle to alter its defense to have Sherman trail an opposing receiver around the field. After Byron Maxwell left last year’s game due to an injury, Sherman left his traditional left cornerback spot to trail Bryant the rest of the afternoon.

Seattle has moved Sherman around more frequently this season and Bryant would be a likely candidate to get Sherman’s full attention once again.

SERIES HISTORY: 16th regular-season meeting. Cowboys lead series, 10-5. Seahawks have lost four of the past five meetings, including each of the past three meetings in Dallas. Seattle hasn’t won in Dallas since a 17-14 victory in 2002. The most historic meeting between these two teams was in the 2006 NFC Wild Card playoffs when Seattle won 21-20 after Romo fumbled a snap on a field-goal attempt that would have given Dallas the lead.

GAME PLAN: The Seahawks will have to limit the Cowboys’ running game and force their offense to run through quarterback Matt Cassel. Offensively, Seattle must convert third down opportunities to keep drives alive against a solid Dallas defense. Establishing the running game with Marshawn Lynch could open up play-action opportunities like Seattle managed to find success with last week in San Francisco.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

–Seahawks defense vs. Cowboys TE Jason Witten. Tight ends have led Seattle opponents in receiving in five of seven games and have caught a touchdown pass in three of the Seahawks’ four losses. If Dez Bryant is unable to play, Witten will become the focal point of Seattle’s defense for the game.

–Seahawks CB Richard Sherman vs. Cowboys WR Dez Bryant. If Bryant can play this week, he will certainly have the attention of the Seattle secondary. Following an injury to Byron Maxwell last season, Sherman was asked to trail Bryant wherever he lined up. Sherman has been asked to trail certain receivers more frequently this season than in year’s past, and Bryant could easily get that treatment from Seattle.