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Seattle Seahawks stay alive in playoff race with ugly win

By The Sports Xchange
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, center, argues with Referee Ed Hochui, left, after the Seahawks received an pass interference call against the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on December 17, 2017. File photo by Jim Bryant/UPI
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, center, argues with Referee Ed Hochui, left, after the Seahawks received an pass interference call against the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on December 17, 2017. File photo by Jim Bryant/UPI | License Photo

RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks did something on Sunday that hadn't happened in 51 years of NFL games.

Seattle earned a 21-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys despite having more penalty yardage than offensive yards gained. An interception return for a touchdown and two touchdowns scored off Dallas turnovers was enough to offset the ineffectiveness of Seattle's offense.

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It was the first time a team had won a game with more penalty yards than offensive yards since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Cowboys 24-23 on Nov. 6, 1966.

The Seahawks gained only 136 yards of total offense but had 142 yards in penalties. Two pass interference calls against Byron Maxwell and Justin Coleman accounted for 72 yards of the total.

With linebackers K.J. Wright back in the lineup and Bobby Wagner much closer to 100 percent, Seattle's defense returned to form and kept the team in the game. Coleman's pick-six of Dak Prescott also bolstered an offense that netted less than 10 yards on seven of their 11 possessions in the game.

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"For Bobby to be playing today is a heroic thing," head coach Pete Carroll said. "He's still playing and having to adapt his play because of his hamstring. The last two weeks have just been heroic for him.

"It's emblematic of what these guys have done for years. I'm so proud of the way that they've responded, to play together, to go out and do something like this. K.J. was sick all weekend. He was in bed all day yesterday and those guys played like crazy to hold these guys down."

The Seahawks are missing Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril on defense. Wright missed last week's game with a concussion and Wagner was hobbled with an injured hamstring. The onus has been put on Seattle's offense to carry the load only to have the group fall flat on its face the last two weeks.

However, it was still enough to beat Dallas and keep their postseason hopes alive.

"We did what we needed to do down there," Carroll said. "Jimmy (Graham) came through. Doug (Baldwin) came through. Russell made a couple of great throws down there to get our scores. We just kind of worked together today with our opportunities."

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They made the plays when needed, but it was far from an encouraging performance. Seattle averaged just 2.5 yards per attempt on 30 carries. Wilson passed for just 93 yards, was sacked three times and brought pressure upon himself by holding the ball too long.

That was coupled with having seven out of 15 drives result in negative yardage last week against the Los Angeles Rams.

Even if Seattle sneaks into the playoffs, their current struggles on offense would cause a significant challenge in their hopes of advancing out of the first round.

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Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas went into the Cowboys locker room after Sunday's game seeking out Dez Bryant and head coach Jason Garrett.

In catching up with Garrett in the tunnel, Thomas told the Dallas coach: "If y'all ever have the chance to come get me, come get me."

Thomas has said multiple times in the past that he grew up a Cowboys fan. He reiterated that notion when asked about his comments to Garrett after the game as well. However, Thomas said his comments were being taken too literally.

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"The biggest thing when I say, 'Come get me.' I don't literally mean, 'Come get me now.' I'm still in the prime of my career. I still want to be here," Thomas said. "But when Seattle kicks me to the curb, 'Please, the Cowboys come get me.' That's the only place I would rather be if I get kicked to the curb. So that's what I meant by it.

"People take life too serious. That's just who I am."

Thomas is under contract for the 2018 season and is scheduled to make $8.5 million in the final year of his contract. Seattle typically looks to do contract extensions with their key players with one year left on an existing deal, which could put Thomas in line for another new deal this offseason.

Thomas said he would welcome a new deal with the Seahawks and he isn't unhappy in Seattle. Nevertheless, it's still unusual for a player to lobby an opposing head coach about a future playing opportunity moments after a game.

"I'm happy here," he said. "I love being here. This is where I started. I've built my resume here. I've got Kam (Chancellor) and Sherm (Richard Sherman), coach (Kris) Richard. I don't want to leave.

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"I don't want to get too deep into it. But it's a business, and we have great young guys coming in, and I just, you never know."

NOTES: CB DeShawn Shead played 14 special teams snaps in his first game back from a torn ACL sustained last January. ... LG Luke Joeckel is dealing with a foot injury coming out of Sunday's game in Dallas.

... RB Chris Carson will not practice this week as he continues to recover from ankle surgery in October.

REPORT CARD VS COWBOYS

--PASSING OFFENSE: D-plus - Russell Wilson passed for just 93 yards and ran himself into trouble frequently. He made two key throws for touchdowns after turnovers set Seattle's offense up with great field position. Wilson averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D - The Seahawks averaged just 2.5 yards per carry on 30 attempts and no rusher had more than 29 yards. Russell Wilson again led the team in rushing with 29 yards on nine attempts. Mike Davis gained just 25 yards on 15 carries.

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--RUSH DEFENSE: B-minus - Ezekiel Elliott gained 97 yards on 24 carries but was kept in control in the second half. Seattle's defense held Elliott to just 24 yards on nine carries after halftime. It forced the Cowboys to throw the ball more frequently and led to multiple turnovers.

--PASS DEFENSE: A-minus - The Seahawks sacked Dak Prescott four times and pressured him repeatedly. The pressure led to two interceptions and Byron Maxwell forced a Dez Byrant fumble as well. All three turnovers led to touchdowns.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: C - Blair Walsh converted his three extra-point attempts. Coverage teams held Ryan Switzer from breaking out on returns.

--COACHING: C-plus - Kris Richard brought several blitzes from the secondary that caused problems for the Dallas offensive line. Seattle's offense was a calamity all day outside of two touchdowns set up off turnovers.

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