Seahawks’ score fest was less about what they were doing and more of what the Cowboys’ defense wasn’t

SEATTLE — Thirty blue flags, each reading “12” in white stitching, formed a perimeter around a CenturyLink Field seating section like some discount car dealership. On the opposite of the stadium, a “Home of the 12s” sign sat above a blue-painted Toyota truck that was elevated behind the south end zone.

Twelve.

Late in the fourth quarter, that was about as many seconds as the Cowboys defense, looking more lemon than well-oiled machine, seemed poised to allow quarterback Russell Wilson in the pocket Sunday on the game-deciding touchdown.

He needed only five seconds.

In the franchise’s 61-year history, no Cowboys defense has allowed more points in the first three games of a season or this many points ever in a two-game span. The latest flop occurred in a 38-31 shootout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, as Wilson comfortably tossed a 29-yard touchdown late to wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.

Dallas fell to 1-2.

It has allowed 97 points in the season’s first three games and ceded 77 in the past two.

Because of COVID-19, Sunday’s score fest came inside an empty stadium, vacant of the Seahawks’ rowdy fan base that carries the “12” moniker.

“It was really on us, honestly,” rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs said. “Just miscommunication. There are things we’ve got to correct in practice and things like that. We’re going to get it right. It’s just communication. That’s it. That’s literally it.”

The Seahawks certainly boast a powerful offense. And all week, this game was projected to be a shootout. But a number of the scores Sunday were less about what Seattle was doing and more what Dallas wasn’t.

Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett was wide open on a 43-yard touchdown during the first quarter. In a second-quarter sequence, cornerback Jourdan Lewis sacked Wilson for a 7-yard loss on third-and-10. But that was negated with cornerback Daryl Worley being flagged for illegal contact. First down. Four plays later, Worley intercepted a pass. But that was negated when Lewis was flagged for pass interference. First down.

On the next play, cornerback Brandon Carr was called for pass interference, setting up first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

Two plays later, touchdown.

Short fields did not help. The Cowboys’ defense opened at their own 34-yard line on one touchdown drive and 5-yard line on another. These came on consecutive series between the late second quarter and early third following turnovers by quarterback Dak Prescott.

The defense largely settled in at that point, but it was too little, too late.

Non-existent pressure on Wilson was the final straw.

“We just left too many opportunities out there,” safety Xavier Woods said. “We didn’t start fast in the first half. We came out slow, and they put up too many points, and it was just too big of a deficit to come back. In the second half, we played a lot better. But that last drive we could’ve got some stops to kill it.”

There is important context to the defensive struggles.

This is a new scheme under coordinator Mike Nolan following an offseason abridged to COVID-19. The unit is dealing with a slate of injuries; key projected contributors like defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and cornerback Anthony Brown are on injured reserve.

None of that, however, excuses the sloppiness.

Linebacker Jaylon Smith called the loss “frustrating but a learning experience.”

“We know what we must do, and for real, it’s time,” Smith said. “It’s time that we do what we know we need to do. There’s no win here, finishing Week 3. New team coming together, developing our chemistry, our culture. When we’re rolling, we’re rolling. The key is to start fast and to finish strong, and that’s something that we’ve yet to do.

“So that’s what our focus is going to be. We’re going to learn from this loss.”

The Cowboys are three games into the 2020 season.

Their defense is still parked in the car lot.

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