Out Of The Chute: Seahawks at Cowboys

Every week during the season, we’ll scout out the Cowboys next opponent. This week, that opponent is the Seattle Seahawks.

The Opponent: The Seattle Seahawks, aka Paul Allen's 50-Man Playtoy

Record: 2-5.

The Line: Cowboys by 11.5. That's pretty much the standard line for anyone playing the Seahawks. Prairie View would be giving 10 points against them.

Last Game: A 34-12 thumping at the hands of the resurgent Cincinnati Bengals.

The Coach: Pete Carroll. And really, hasn't Pete Carroll's reign in Seattle gone pretty much as expected?

The Offense: Charlie Whitehurst and his luscious mane of hair were injured early against Cincy, which meant the return of Tarvaris Jackson to the lineup. Jackson is a lousy quarterback, prone to holding onto the ball too long and turning the ball over. He also has poor field sense, with little ability to find open receivers unless they're open by fifteen yards. Expect Seattle to run Marshawn Lynch at the Cowboys as much as the Eagles ran LeSean McCoy the other night. That'll help take the pressure off Jackson and perhaps open things up downfield for Sidney Rice, who is clearly Seattle's best receiver. The Seahawks are a bad team, but they have their moments. Remember, they beat the Giants in the Meadowlands. You never know when a bad team will stand up and fight.

The Defense: Fun fact: Despite the Cowboys having Rob Ryan and DeMarcus Ware and all sorts of big names on the their defense, they're tied with Seattle's no-name group for 18th in overall scoring defense. Defensive end Chris Clemons is having a career year with five sacks, and safety Kam Chancellor leads the team with three picks. This is the saving grace of having Pete Carroll as your head coach. Your offense may be ghastly, but your defense will always try hard. After Tony Romo's disappearing act on Sunday Night, do you really expect Dallas to turn around and manhandle another team? I don't. The Seahawks are only one game worse than Dallas, and it's not by chance.

Key Matchup: Orlando Scandrick versus Rice. Scandrick is becoming an excellent cover corner, and it will probably be on him to jam up Rice at the line of scrimmage. Take away Rice, and you leave Tarvaris dithering in the pocket until the sack brigade comes.

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