Defending Super Bowl Champions the Seattle Seahawks have lost another game in Seattle, a rare feat over the last few years. Quarterback Russell Wilson had a bit of an off game against Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are in the middle of a turnaround season. The once-great franchise, which has struggled for much of the last decade and a half, is 5-1 after three consecutive 8-8 seasons. Dallas' shocking win was a great psychological victory in the playoff picture as they defeated a still strong Seattle team during one of their best starts in recent history.
Strategically, it seems the Seahawks have had difficulty in games where they don't control the tempo. When they don't run the ball effectively, Wilson has struggled to ignite his passing game. According to NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, Seattle needs to keep it simple (via Seattle Times):
"The big thing with them is having an understanding and being true to their identity. I think their offense still revolves around Marshawn Lynch... I think sometimes they get in a little trouble when they get a little cute and they do some creative things with Russell that kind of detracts from what the focus of the offense should be.''
While Dallas owner Jerry Jones praised coach Jason Garrett for what he termed a "coaching victory", Seattle coach Pete Carroll was also quick to give credit where credit was due (via NFL.com):
"They played really well and they did a lot of cool stuff for their football team in all phases, and we were not right, really, in any phase of our game today."
Not that people should read anything extra into Seattle's loss, but Dallas' victory could possibly play a larger role come playoff time.
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