PLAYER NOTES
–RB Chris Carson: Despite not getting a single carry in the second half last week, head coach Pete Carroll reiterated that he’s the starting running back and he simply “screwed up” in thinking Carson was winded from playing special teams. He “did fine” and there’s no changes on the depth chart, though Carroll stated Rashaad Penny will continue to get his chances as well.
–C Justin Britt: After suffering a shoulder injury late in Monday’s loss to the Bears, head coach Pete Carroll says Britt’s status will be monitored “day-to-day” and indicated both Joey Hunt and starting LG Ethan Pocic could be options to replace Britt if he can’t play on Sunday.
–G D.J. Fluker: Shelved since the third preseason game with a significant hamstring injury, head coach Pete Carroll has his sights set on the mauling 355-pound guard making his regular-season debut for the Seahawks. There’s a chance both he and J.R. Sweezy could start at the guard spots if LG Ethan Pocic has to slide to center in Britt’s absence.
–LB K.J. Wright: While teammate Bobby Wagner will return to practice on Wednesday in preparation for Sunday, Wright isn’t quite as far in his progression while recovering from knee surgery. If he’s unable to get back this week, Mychal Kendricks will be allowed to play as the NFL still reviews his appeal to an impending suspension for insider trading charges.
–CB Tre Flowers: The rookie fifth-round pick tried to play on Monday, but he couldn’t make it through warm-ups with a hamstring issue. He’s hoping to make it through the week and start opposite Shaquill Griffin versus Dallas.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: TE Will Dissly. Seattle hasn’t been able to get much going passing to wide receivers without Doug Baldwin available, but Dissly has been a “great first-year starter,” according to head coach Pete Carroll, while quickly developing into Russell Wilson’s new security blanket. After setting a NFL-record for rookie tight ends with 105 receiving yards in his debut against Denver, the fourth-round pick out of Washington followed up with another steady performance in Chicago, catching three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown while also contributing a few key blocks against Khalil Mack late in the game. The Cowboys had some trouble covering New York Giants tight end Evan Engram last week, surrendering six catches for 73 yards and a score. Dissly isn’t the same athlete as Engram, but at 270 pounds, he’s a load to bring down in the open field and he’s fleet-footed for his size, so he could be a matchup nightmare for Dallas.
GAME PLAN: As has been the case for the previous two games to open the season, the Seahawks remain without an offensive identity and will face one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers in Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. It feels like playing a broken record over and over again, but somehow, Seattle has to manufacture a ground game and not abandon it if it’s not working early. For all the fuss head coach Pete Carroll and other coaches have made about the importance of the ground game, they’ve failed to commit to running the ball and rank 29th overall in rushing attempts and yardage. That’s not going to cut it, and if the Seahawks really want to get back to running the ball, they need to be more persistent in doing so by feeding Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny more often. Since Carolina quarterback Cam Newton found success running the ball against the Cowboys in the season opener, the Seahawks also need to incorporate some read-option runs and pass plays with a moving pocket to allow Wilson to use his legs as a weapon this week.
Dallas hasn’t been able to muster much offensively during the first two games of the year, averaging only 14 points per game. The Cowboys released wide receiver Dez Bryant and the offensive line isn’t near as dominant as it used to be with center Travis Frederick sidelined due to illness, but there’s still plenty of talent on that side of the football. In Seattle’s 21-12 victory in Fort Worth last December, Carroll made slowing down star running back Ezekiel Elliott the top priority, choosing to force dual-threat quasrterback Dak Prescott to beat his team with his arm. Elliott finished with 97 rushing yards, but the Seahawks baited Prescott into two interceptions, including a pick-six by cornerback Justin Coleman. The Seahawks can’t overlook Prescott as the Giants did last week, but he needs to prove he can win games as a passer with a much-maligned receiving corps. Expect a similar game plan to last year with emphasis on stopping Elliott and using creative blitz packages to turn up the heat on the third-year quarterback.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Seahawks RT Germain Ifedi vs. Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence. Seemingly every week, Ifedi has had to square off against one of the best pass rushers in football and this week will be no different. Lawrence posted a career-best 14.5 sacks in 2017 and already has 2.0 sacks this season. The 265-pound defensive end can win matchups versus opposing linemen in myriad ways, as he possesses the athleticism and bend to quickly turn the corner on tackles while also being capable of bull-rushing and using hand-fighting techniques to discard blocks. He’s going to be a problem for Ifedi and it’ll be imperative once again for Seattle to provide extra support with chipping tight ends and running backs.
–Seahawks CB Justin Coleman vs. Cowboys WR Cole Beasley. The Cowboys still are sorting out their 31st-ranked passing game after cutting ties with Bryant, and Beasley has taken over as Prescott’s most-trusted target. The diminutive 5-foot-8, 180-pound Beasley has made quite the career for himself working out of the slot, and though he had a down season in 2017, he’s only two years removed from catching a career-high 75 receptions in Prescott’s rookie campaign. He’s been kept relatively quiet in Dallas’s first two games and historically hasn’t fared well against the Seahawks, but his precise route-running skills and reliable hands will provide quite the test for Coleman on Sunday. If outside receivers struggle to get open against Seahawks corners Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers, Prescott will lean on Beasley as his go-to option.
