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Cowboys-Seahawks: What we learned

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SEATTLE — Running back DeMarco Murray made history, and the Dallas Cowboys made a statement to the rest of the NFL on Sunday afternoon.

Murray’s 15-yard touchdown run with 3:16 remaining gave him 100 yards for the game and stood up as the game-winning score in the Cowboys’ 30-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Murray ended the game with 115 rushing yards on 29 carries to become the second running back in NFL history to open a season with six consecutive 100-yard games. He matched a feat accomplished by Jim Brown in 1958.

The Cowboys (5-1) earned their fifth consecutive victory despite setting up 17 Seattle points with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a muffed punt that led to a touchdown and a lost fumble that set up a field goal. Considering the venue and the opponent, this was Dallas’ most impressive win of the streak.

“We can’t get beside ourselves,” wide receiver Dez Bryant said. “We’ve got to keep moving. We can’t get comfortable.”

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo completed 21 of 32 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

His biggest completion came on a third-and-20 with 4:45 remaining in a game the Cowboys trailed 23-20. Romo scrambled out of trouble and heaved a ball toward the sideline, where receiver Terrance Williams made a remarkable catch while dragging his toes just inside the stripe for a 22-yard reception to keep the drive alive.

Three plays later, Murray ran in for the go-ahead score from 15 yards out, giving Dallas a 27-23 lead.

“It was one of those things where if (Romo) throws it up, I want to earn his trust, so I’m going to try to get it,” Williams said of the big third-down catch.

The Cowboys, who trailed 10-0 eight minutes into the game, rallied behind 162 team rushing yards, three Dan Bailey field goals and a defense that held Seattle to 206 yards of total offense.

What the Cowboys said:

“We’re not going to make it any bigger than it is. There’s still a lot of football to be played.” — TE Jason Witten

“Any other time we would have blinked. We probably would have folded and gave up. But we didn’t do that.” — WR Dez Bryant

What the Seahawks said:

“A lot of people say a lot of things. People don’t know this game. Just say the Cowboys played a great game.” — CB Richard Sherman

“Every game is a fight. Every game is a Super Bowl championship. We lost this week, but we’ve just got to come back next week.” — DL Michael Bennett

What we learned about the Cowboys:

1. These guys are for real. Sure, a four-game winning streak had people talking about Dallas as a legitimate contender, but Sunday’s win — in a road game against the team many consider to be the NFL’s best — solidified the Cowboys’ place as one of the teams to beat in the NFC. The Cowboys were the first team from outside the NFC West to win in Seattle, and they did it while dominating the line of scrimmage to the tune of 401 yards to the Seahawks’ 206.

2. If defense wins championships, the Cowboys should be in the mix. While DeMarco Murray’s sixth consecutive 100-yard game put him in the company of Jim Brown, and Tony Romo’s escape-and-heave for a sideline circus catch by Terrance Williams provided most of the highlights from Sunday’s win over Seattle, it was the defense that carried the day. The Cowboys held Seattle to 206 yards of total offense while finding a way to contain both Marshawn Lynch (62 yards of total offense) and Percy Harvin (minus-1 total yards on three carries and three receptions).

–RB DeMarco Murray became the second running back in NFL history to begin a season with six consecutive 100-yard games when he rushed for 115 yards on 29 carries Sunday in Seattle. Murray matched Jim Brown’s NFL record from the 1953 season and can break it with another 100-yard performance this Sunday. He also became the first back this season to put up 100 yards on the Seattle defense.

–WR Dez Bryant had a productive afternoon Sunday, even though the Seahawks moved Pro Bowl CB Richard Sherman to his side of the field for the entire second half. Bryant made three of his four catches with Sherman in coverage. He finished with four receptions for 63 yards in the win.

–LB Rolando McClain continues to provide the NFL with a feel-good story of redemption in a season when the league needs it the most. McClain, who came out of retirement after being labeled a first-round bust following three off-the-field arrests, finished off Sunday’s win with an interception in the final minutes of a 30-23 victory over Seattle. “Absolute animal man, an animal,” teammate Orlando Scandrick said. “I see why he was a top-10 pick.”

What we learned about the Seahawks:

1. Penalties could be this team’s downfall in the end. After getting three touchdowns called back by penalties in a Monday night win over Washington, Seattle was flagged nine more times Sunday. Six of the penalties came in the first half, effectively taking a lot of the steam out of an early 10-0 lead. Playing more disciplined football was a key to Seattle’s Super Bowl run in 2013; this year, the Seahawks have taken a step backward.

2. The Seahawks miss Golden Tate. In a big game that came down to the final minutes, Seattle spent the final two possessions trying to force passes to guys like WR Jermaine Kearse and TE Luke Willson. When a defense takes WR Percy Harvin out of the game plan like Dallas did on Sunday, those are the kinds of receivers Seattle targets. That’s a pretty big statement about the lack of playmakers on a team that relied upon Golden Tate to make most of its big-time catches in 2013 before leaving in free agency.

3. The secondary isn’t what it used to be. Free agency and injuries have depleted the cornerback position, forcing CB Richard Sherman to chase the opposing team’s top receiver around the field. He gave up three receptions to Dez Bryant in the second half of Sunday’s loss to Dallas.

–C Max Unger (strained foot) was inactive for the game. It marked the first time this season that Unger has not played. With a little luck, he might be available for next Sunday’s game at St. Louis.

–CB Richard Sherman spent Sunday’s second half following Dallas Pro Bowl WR Dez Bryant. After starting CB Byron Maxwell went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter, Sherman moved around to avoid leaving CB Marcus Burley on Bryant. Bryant caught three passes in the second half, with Sherman covering him.

–WR Percy Harvin was a couple of penalties away from a huge performance on Monday Night Football last week, but he couldn’t blame the refs for Sunday’s quiet performance. Harvin carried the ball three times for minus-1 yards and caught three passes for zero total yards. The only time he got across the line of scrimmage came on a five-yard reception after a Seattle fumble recovery in Dallas territory.

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