Usually when NFL teams play on Thanksgiving, they get a few extra days off ahead of the following game.
The Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys don’t have that luxury. They will both play for a second consecutive Thursday when they meet this week in Arlington, Texas.
The Seahawks (6-5), who were in sole possession of first place in the NFC West at the start of November, now find themselves two games behind San Francisco. The visiting 49ers pounded Seattle 31-13 last Thursday.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of the altered practice schedule with back-to-back weekday contests, “We’re right in the midst of it. It’s just turning your brain around because you feel like you’re on a different planet here. So yeah, there’s a challenge to that. But that’s why we tried to get right back into the routine so it feels the same regardless. It’s kind of like a bit of a time warp and we just go at it.”
The Seahawks have lost two in a row and three of four. That doesn’t bode well for their playoff hopes, as they follow the game against the Cowboys (8-3) with a rematch against the 49ers (8-3) in Santa Clara, Calif., and then a home game against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles (10-1).
The Seahawks took a 17-16 road loss against the Los Angeles Rams before falling to the 49ers, and Seattle’s only touchdown vs. San Francisco came on a pick-six by linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
“I’m concerned. I’m concerned about our club. I’m concerned about everything we’re doing right now,” Carroll said. “That (loss to San Francisco) will make you challenge everything, which is why you’re asking all the questions. There’s questions to be asked and answers to be found.”
Carroll seemed especially miffed by the team’s lack of offensive production the past two weeks.
“We have unique talents and we got to make sure we’re maximizing that and I feel like we’re not,” Carroll said. “I feel like we’re not seeing stuff.”
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have won five of six games since a 42-10 loss to the 49ers on Oct. 8.
Dak Prescott has thrown 18 touchdown passes with just two interceptions in that span, with head coach Mike McCarthy taking over as the play-caller.
“I don’t know that I could just put my finger right on it and say this is the why,” Prescott said. “As much as I’ve talked about the new system and the new play-calling, we know what we want to do. We know how we want to attack. We’re running plays that we’ve ran since the spring.”
Prescott hasn’t been sacked in the past three games, the longest streak of his career.
“I think that’s where it starts,” Prescott said of the Cowboys’ offensive line. “The way they’re protecting, giving me time to take shots down the field, allowing me to extend plays.”
In a 45-10 rout of the visiting Washington Commanders last Thursday, Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland set an NFL record with his fifth interception return for a touchdown this season. Dallas extended its winning streak at A&T Stadium to 13 games, its longest run at home since an 18-game streak from 1979-81.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, who missed last week’s game, is doubtful because of an oblique injury, meaning rookie Zach Charbonnet is likely to carry the bulk of the workload. Offensive guard Phil Haynes (toe) has been ruled out, while defensive end Leonard Williams (ankle), tight end Will Dissly (hip) and wide receiver Deek Eskridge (ribs) are questionable.
Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. missed practice on Tuesday with illnesses but were back as full participants Wednesday.
