2023 Season | Week 13 | Thursday Gameday Chatter Thread | Seahawks @ Cowboys | 11/30/2023

[boozeman]

Starting this since I am undefeated in CTs this year unlike @Cotton, @Rev and @1bigfan13 .

 

[dpf1123]

Cowboys Pregame Three Thoughts for Week 13
Seattle visits to begin Dallas stretch of playing five consecutive likely playoff teams.

BOB STURM
NOV 30, 2023

The time has finally come where the tests of December will be given. Actually, we will allow the final day of November to get in the mix here as Dallas is about to play five consecutive teams who are in the playoff mix. Is this finally a chance to get everyone off their backs if they can beat Seattle, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Miami, and Detroit?

Well, prepare yourselves for the court of public opinion to change the quality of the win after the fact. Most every team on this list but the Eagles could be converted to a “not that great of a win” if the Cowboys handle them, but perception only matters in college football and the internet. In the actual NFL, each win is worth one win and you keep climbing up or falling down the standings based on that merit.
Seattle comes to town for the traditional Thursday-after-Thanksgiving Cowboys’ affair and these are my three thoughts:

Tonight’s game is important as they are playing a team that is capable of pulling an upset for probably the first time in four games. But, in this case, what Dallas wants to make sure they do well is continue to perform with precision and aggression to put them in a fine position for the stretch run. In other words, treat this as it should be treated – a top priority game on the path to the playoffs. The Cowboys are hunting their 9th win and need to keep their foot on the gas and to do it with great authority.

Luckily, the objectives of their offense have been hitting the mark with consistency as you look above at the 10 big metrics and see eight of them in the blue (up with the leaders in the league) and nothing at all in the red. The only mid-table stats right now are rushing yards per game and red zone conversions. We already have told you this week that in the last two months, they are 3rd in the NFL in red zone production. This is a very good offense that keeps getting better. Now, we want to see them stand on that gas and show the league there are no signs of letting up.

The Seahawks are a heavy-zone team that sits in Cover 3 and Cover 4 all day long. They do not blitz much, but they do scheme up a very high number of free runners to the QB as they are top 5 in unblocked sacks. So you better keep an eye on a DB trying to sneak in and ambush Dak if the Cowboys are not on top of their awareness game.

There are many defenders in their group that I admire, but as you can see from the red ink above on their defensive matrix, the performance does not confirm the compliments. They have been struggling and Dallas has a chance to boss this game when they have the ball – provided they are focused on the task at hand.

Look, we know Pete Carroll offense very well and we would expect with Kenneth Walker healthy, they would try to test the Cowboys underbelly in that rush defense and attempt to get things done on the ground. They still will, to a certain extent, as I am a huge fan of rookie Zach Charbonnet, the former Michigan and UCLA RB. He is a very nice piece that I wish Dallas would have grabbed in the draft.
But, this game seems to me about the Seahawks trying to get their fleet of fine wideouts going at a very high level. That, of course, depends on their courage against the Dallas pass rush and with a line that was just beat up by San Francisco, there is a good chance I am reading this wrong.

But, with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf on the outside, either one of them is capable of a huge night that includes 120+ yards and a couple touchdowns. Of course, that requires protection and Geno Smith playing very well, but the Cowboys should not take anything for granted here. If the pass rush is up to the task, Seattle might quickly decide that running the ball is the best way to stretch the game and push it into a competitive 2nd half.

That’s the thing about Dallas. You only have to screw up once for a strip sack that flips the game and we know Dallas is eager to do that so that DaRon Bland doesn’t get all of the defensive touchdown fun.

– Lastly, I am interested in seeing the Seahawks rookie class which I considered a group of some of my favorite players in the 2023 draft.
Thanks to the Russell Wilson trade, the Seahawks have a chance for their full rebuild to happen very quickly. Just take a look at what they were able to get back from Denver to flip their aging QB:

Those draft picks are so valuable and so in the 2023 draft, they had two firsts and two seconds and between those four pieces, they were able to add Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Derick Hall, and Zach Charbonnet. Folks, that is a mighty haul.
Smith-Njigba is a DFW product and a guy that is a star to be. I absolutely loved him in my pre-draft write-up:

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the latest Ohio State receiving prospect who hails from the metroplex and played at Rockwall High. He is a five-star recruit, and his 2021 was the single-season receiving school record at a university that has produced many star WRs.
Strengths: He is an elite route runner and has releases that will allow him to remain open at all times. He has great separation skills and he makes game-changing plays in high volume as both a big-play receiver and a third-down solution. He is just remarkable as anyone who watched his singular Rose Bowl performance against Utah can attest. He has fantastic hands and appears a master technician.
Concerns: There are concerns about his top-end speed and whether he has that breakaway speed and even the question of whether he is a slot-only. But, more than anything, why just the one season? Hamstrings stole his 2022, and that has to be investigated.
Overview: This is a clear star player who has a tremendously high ceiling. He gets open at a level we seldom see and there is no question he can be a centerpiece player. I comfortably call him a FIRST-ROUND grade and am considering a boost to High First Round if his combine goes well. He can be elite.

But, then, as if they are just being showered with blessings, Denver stunk so badly with Wilson in 2022 that the pick they got from Denver was in the top 5. And boy, Devon Witherspoon was the dude that they were able to grab and we can already see he is special. Here is his draft profile.

Devon Witherspoon went from being a no-star recruit out of high school to an All-American in a few short years. He was a basketball player who returned to playing football late in the process, so recruiting buzz on him was very low. Then his academics also were a hurdle, but after joining Illinois, his game really developed and his 2022 film was elite.
Strengths: He is a do-it-all corner and has outstanding quickness and athleticism combined with heat-seeking missile tendencies. He plays with a stickiness and awareness that is a pleasure to behold and seems to mix up his tactics that show a desirable versatility. His recognition is elite and there are plays where you can see he sniffs out ideas that are uncommon. He makes plays on the ball, hits hard and covers very well. I like it all.
Concerns: The biggest issue is that before this past season, he was nowhere to be found on any sort of 2023 draft listing. He has played a remarkable amount of football without rising up lists. He also is a very physical player who will draw attention and penalties. Pretty skinny, too.
Overview: I have to admit that after watching a lot of his work this season that I have become pretty smitten with his ability. I look for press corners who get the ball and love to hit. They have a disposition and an attitude that makes their aggression contagious on defense. Witherspoon is that guy for me and an official 2023 pet cat. HIGH FIRST-ROUND grade for me and I would put him in the top of this draft.

Of the two, Witherspoon is having a bigger rookie year and the play he made on this pass breakup on Thanksgiving night was just silly. He isn’t perfect, but when you get a group of young players who all seem to have bright futures, you can see why Seattle thinks they can be back as a contender very quickly.
Anyway, tonight’s game appears to be a Cowboys team that is playing at its top level vs a Seattle team that is running out of gas and hitting a very difficult stretch. This will be a 4-Quarter game, but I expect 31-20 or so for the Cowboys.

 

[boozeman]

 

[Stars]

I'm glad Seattle isn't wearing those neon highlighter clown costumes.

 

[Rev]

Starting this since I am undefeated in CTs this year unlike @Cotton, @Rev and @1bigfan13 .

Well you should have started the 49ers and eagles games then.

 

[boozeman]

Well you should have started the 49ers and eagles games then.

Maybe I should have, loser.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

So white pants with the white jersey? Is that what that tweet is saying?

And isn't that new except for the "throwbacks?"

 

[boozeman]

So white pants with the white jersey? Is that what that tweet is saying?

And isn't that new except for the "throwbacks?"

 

[p1_]

Starting this since I am undefeated in CTs this year unlike @Cotton, @Rev and @1bigfan13 .

That’s it. Balls out.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Thanks, Nips.

I just hope we can overcome the sheer awesomeness of those Seattle duds.

 

[bbgun]

Well you should have started the 49ers and eagles games then.

He picked a game that we're favored to win at home. coward!

 

[Chocolate Lab]

 

[1bigfan13]

Starting this since I am undefeated in CTs this year unlike @Cotton, @Rev and @1bigfan13 .

No 1st half chat for me tonight anyway.

I have an online class until about 9:30. Game will be streaming in the background as I half pay attention to the MS Teams chatter.

 

[Cotton]

Maybe I should have, loser.

Your face is a loser.

 

[Cotton]

Thanks, Nips.

 

[Cotton]

Let's do this!

 

[bbgun]

again, be sensitive towards us streamers

 

[Chocolate Lab]

again, be sensitive towards us streamers

Aren't we all streamers tonight? Except I guess for those in Dallas or Seattle.

 

[boozeman]

again, be sensitive towards us streamers

The illegal stream and legit Amazon may clash. Not our problem.

 

[bbgun]

Aren't we all streamers tonight? Except I guess for those in Dallas or Seattle.

I'm assuming the AP stream (which you have to pay for) will be faster/more up to date than the illegal ones.