The Sports Xchange

RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks came through on both sides of the football in the fourth quarter to get a second straight road victory and get back to .500 on the season with a 13-12 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Given that all four losses the team has suffered this season have come due to an inability to execute in the fourth quarter, Sunday’s performance was a welcome sight for the Seahawks.

“Finish was there like we want it to be on both sides of the ball,” head coach Pete Carroll said.

Seattle’s defense held Dallas to four yards of total offense on three fourth quarter possessions.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s offense put up 129 yards in the final quarter and marched on a nearly six-minute drive for the winning field goal. The 17-play, 79-yard drive lasted 5:35 and gave Dallas just over a minute to attempt a game-winning drive of their own.

The drive allowed Seattle to overcome having an attempted go-ahead field goal by Steven Hauschka blocked on the previous possession.

After converting only 1-of-6 third down opportunities through three quarters, Seattle converted 4-of-6 chances in the fourth quarter to help keep the winning drive alive.

“Russell ran on one of them and we hit a couple nice ones,” Carroll said. “Good use of the game plan we had going in. Just good execution. I think really focused and the discipline came through right there for us in a big way.”

The Seahawks offensive line protected quarterback Russell Wilson well. He was not sacked for the first time this season.

Nevertheless, Seattle had four three-and-outs in five offensive possessions in the second and third quarters as the offense struggled to get first downs.

The Seahawks also failed to convert either of their two possessions inside the Dallas 20-yard line into touchdowns.

Wilson made some poor decisions on which throws to attempt given the situations at times. He also was a little inaccurate at times, which led to a couple missed completion opportunities.

Hauschka’s 24-yard field goal gave Seattle the lead with 1:06 left to play. The defense held and managed to force a four-and-out from Dallas’ offense, even after a 15-yard personal foul on Michael Bennett on the first snap of the final drive.

REPORT CARD VS. COWBOYS

PASSING OFFENSE: C — Seattle didn’t allow a sack for the first time this season, which gave quarterback Russell Wilson time to execute the offense. However, Wilson was inaccurate with a few throws and Seattle was only 1-of-6 on third down — all passes — in the first three quarters.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus — The Seahawks struggled to find significant running room against Dallas. Marshawn Lynch had 71 yards on 21 carries. Seattle averaged 3.6 yards per carry, with quarterback Russell Wilson picking up the most consistent yardage on scrambles and option runs.

PASS DEFENSE: A — Seattle held Dallas quarterback Matt Cassel to 97 yards passing in the game. It’s the second time this season they’ve held an opponent to fewer than 100 yards passing. The Seahawks has the No. 2-ranked pass defense in the league behind the Denver Broncos.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-minus — With no passing game, the Cowboys managed to move the football against Seattle, as they picked up small chunks in the running game most of the day. Darren McFadden gained 64 yards on 20 carries, but the Dallas offensive line kept creating small creases to keep possessions alive.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B — Steven Hauschka had a 47-yard field goal blocked in the fourth quarter that would have given Seattle the lead. It was Hauschka’s first miss of any kind this season. Hauschka did convert a 24-yard field goal with 1:10 left to play for the game-winning score.

COACHING: B-plus — Seattle beautifully handled the late game scenario that allowed them to win the game. The Seahawks put together a 17-play, 79-yard drive that drained 5:33 off the clock and resulted in the go-ahead score with barely over a minute left. Putting cornerback Richard Sherman on wide receiver Dez Bryant took away a major weapon of Dallas’ offense.