Seahawks give themselves a Christmas gift, beating Dallas to stay alive in playoff hunt



ARLINGTON, Texas – It wasn’t always pretty, but thankfully it didn’t have to be.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Dallas Cowboys, 21-12, on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, keeping themselves alive in the playoff hunt heading into their final game of the season.

The math isn’t complicated. If the Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field next Sunday, and the Carolina Panthers can get past the Atlanta Falcons on the road, Seattle will earn a wildcard berth and find itself in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, saw their playoff hopes die in front of their home crowd.

How did the Seahawks do it? Turnovers. Lots of turnovers. Dak Prescott threw two interceptions and Dez Bryant lost a fumble, helping Seattle overcome a mostly moribund offense. The Seahawks managed just 138 total yards on offense but still got three touchdowns on the board.

One of those touchdowns was a direct and immediate result of one of those touchdowns, as Justin Coleman picked off Prescott and ran it back 30 yards for a touchdown. He also came up with one of the most memorable celebrations of the season, jumping into the giant Salvation Army kettle behind the end zone.

Russell Wilson had a quiet but efficient afternoon, completing 14 of 21 passes for 3 yards, and running nine times for 29 yards. He had two more touchdown passes: Jimmy Graham for 1 yard (his 10th of the season), and Doug Baldwin for six yards.

As has become their custom, the Seahawks’ running backs failed to generate much on the ground. Wilson was again the leading rusher, with Mike Davis managing just 25 yards on 15 carries.

The Seahawks will close out the season next Sunday with that all-important matchup against the Cardinals. The game will kick off at 1:25 p.m. on the official home of the Seahawks, Q13 FOX.