Seahawks stay alive; Cowboys done
SEATTLE 21, DALLAS 12
ARLINGTON, Texas — Russell Wilson didn’t have to do much to keep alive Seattle’s hopes for a sixth straight playoff trip, despite the return of star Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott from a six-game suspension.
Justin Coleman put the Seahawks ahead for good with a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown, and they beat the Cowboys 21-12 in a playoff-elimination game Sunday.
Dak Prescott had two passes intercepted and Dallas didn’t score a touchdown despite the reunion with Prescott’s backfield mate, the one he shared a remarkable rookie season with a year ago when the Cowboys had an NFC-best 13 wins.
Now Dallas (8-7) is eliminated from the postseason with the end of its three-game winning streak, and the Seahawks (9-6) still have life after Wilson threw for two touchdowns despite a career-low 93 yards passing.
“In these situations where it truly is a must-win game, we don’t have to make anything up,” Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin said. “We’re well-prepared for it. The process that we’ve gone through the whole season really helped us today.”
Coleman gave Seattle a 14-9 lead in the third quarter when he reached down to catch Prescott’s badly overthrown pass to Elliott and ran untouched 30 yards for a score.
It was the fourth pick-six of the season for Prescott, who threw just four interceptions last season when he was the NFL offensive rookie of the year. He has 13 interceptions for the season.
The Seahawks won despite gaining just 136 total yards — their fewest since getting 135 in a 14-9 win over the Rams in 2013.
Seattle’s first two offensive touchdowns were set up by pass-interference penalties in the end zone. The first was a three-yarder to Jimmy Graham, the second a six-yarder to Baldwin after running plays backed up the Seahawks both times.
Elliott had 15 carries for 74 yards in the first half and finished with 97 yards in 24 carries. He didn’t touch the ball when the Cowboys had a first down inside the Seattle five trailing by nine in the fourth quarter, and the drive resulted in Dan Bailey missing a 34yard field goal.