FRISCO, TX — These are two organizations who know each other very well, and there's never any love lost when the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks square off. The history of the matchup includes plenty of headlines, some great, some not so much.
From a brutal hit on linebacker Sean Lee to a twinkletoes conversion from Tony Romo to receiver Terrance Williams and the preseason hit on Romo that ushered in the Dak Prescott era in 2016, the Cowboys and Seahawks never leave anything on the field.
"We've played them a couple of years [ago] so we've really gotta stay in-tune with what they put on tape," said head coach Mike McCarthy. "We played them in the preseason, but that's different as it pertains to matchups.
In his first-ever bout against the Seahawks as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, McCarthy suffered a 38-31 loss in the Pacific Northwest — despite racking up 522 yards of total offense on the day.
Things are much different nowadays with Russell Wilson in a Broncos' uniform and Geno Smith commanding the offense for Pete Carroll, but the weaponry at receiver isn't much different or any less lethal if allowed to blast off.
But, for the Seahawks, it'll begin with establishing the run game, and that's something the Cowboys look to shut down at AT&T Stadium, where they've been nothing short of bedlam against visitors in 2023.
"It'll start with our run defense being challenged, when they line up with the ball." said McCarthy. "I think both teams take a lot of pride in how we play. We're looking at this as it's gonna be an extremely physical, active football game."
It'll also be key for the Cowboys to eliminate giveaways, needless to say, but especially considering that was a big reason for the aforementioned Seahawks' victory three years ago, and that's something that is undoubtedly stuck in the mind of McCarthy going into Thursday.
It stands to be a grueling fight for both teams, who both need the victory as the calendar prepares to flip to December, when playoff seeding begins to take center stage.
"They do a good job of taking the ball away, and how they go [about it]," he said. "We need to protect the ball at all costs and we need to take it away ourselves. … And we know the type of football they like to play defensively. We're looking at this as an excellent, excellent opportunity."
