Cowboys' Romo Seeking Measure of Revenge vs. Seahawks

Football Betting Lines

11/26/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As fans at Texas Stadium celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday by watching their Cowboys play host to the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo will be busy trying to exorcise a demon.

The last time Romo faced the Seahawks the date was Jan. 6, 2007, and the Cowboys were in Seattle for an NFC Wild Card matchup, a game that also marked the first postseason outing of Romo's starting career.

Late in that contest, with the score 21-20 in favor of Seattle, the quarterback drove Dallas within sight of a 19-yard Martin Gramatica field goal that would have put the Cowboys close to their first playoff victory since 1996.

But Romo botched the hold of the potential game-winner, and his desperate scramble for the first down or end zone came up short.

Nearly two years later, Romo still hasn't secured his first win as a playoff starter, and in order to get his next chance will have to lead his team to a strong showing over the final five regular season games.

This past Sunday, the Cowboys won their second in a row since Romo's return from a finger injury by defeating the 49ers, 35-22. The two-time Pro Bowler completed 23-of-39 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns in his strongest outing of the season to date, leaning heavily on No. 1 wideout Terrell Owens (7 receptions, 213 yards, 1 TD) to move Dallas to 7-4.

America's Team enters Week 13 still three games back of the Giants in the NFC East race, but is very much in the mix for one of the conference's two Wild Card berths.

A win over Seattle will further that case, and will give the Cowboys a boost heading into a demanding final four-game stretch that includes road meetings against the Steelers (8-3) and Eagles (5-5-1), as well as home affairs versus the Giants (10-1) and Ravens (7-4).

The Seahawks, for so long an annual player in the NFC postseason hunt, have fallen far short of that mark this year and have become resigned to playing spoiler.

Mike Holmgren's squad was a 20-17 home loser to the Redskins last Sunday, the team's fourth straight loss and seventh in its last eight. The defeat clinched Seattle's first losing season since 2002 and kept the Hawks in a tie for last place in the NFC West along with similarly 2-9 St. Louis.

Seattle will be playing on Thanksgiving Day for the first time since Nov. 27, 1986, when it was a 31-14 winner at Dallas. The Seahawks' only other Turkey Day foray came on Nov. 27, 1980, when they were 51-7 losers in Big D. The 44- point margin of victory remains the largest since Thanksgiving Day games were first played in 1920.

The Cowboys are 4-2 in Thanksgiving games since 2002, including decisive wins over the Jets (34-3) and Buccaneers (38-10) over the past two seasons.

SERIES HISTORY

Dallas leads the all-time regular season series with Seattle, 6-4, but was a 13-10 road loser in the last such meeting, in Week 7 of the 2005 season. The Cowboys also lost the most recent matchup between the clubs at Texas Stadium, with Seattle coming away a 17-14 winner in 2002. The Cowboys last beat the Seahawks in 2004, a 43-39 Monday night thriller at Qwest Field, and last defeated Seattle in Big D in 1998.

As mentioned, the teams also played a memorable postseason contest, won by Seattle in dramatic, 21-20 fashion at home in the 2006 playoffs.

Holmgren has an extensive history against the Cowboys, holding a 5-8 record against them, including a 1-7 mark while with the Packers from 1992 through 1998. That record includes losses for the Pack in NFC Divisional Playoffs following the 1993 and 1994 seasons, as well as a setback in the 1995 NFC Championship. The win for the Seahawks in the 2006 playoffs gave Holmgren his first postseason triumph over Dallas.

The Cowboys' Wade Phillips is 5-1 in his career against the Seahawks, including a 4-0 mark while the Broncos (1993-94) and 1-1 while at the helm of the Bills (1998-2000). Phillips is just 1-2 head-to-head against Holmgren, however.

WHEN THE SEAHAWKS HAVE THE BALL

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (929 passing yards, 5 TD, 9 INT) has gone from Pro Bowl status to NFL irrelevance in a span of a few short months. While dealing with a back injury that has limited him to just six starts this year, Hasselbeck has yet to post a 200-yard passing game, has a season passer rating of 54.9, and hasn't won a start since beating the Rams in Week 3. Hasselbeck did throw two touchdown passes in last week's loss to the Redskins, but also fired two picks and finished with just 103 yards on 12-of-24 passing. A revolving door of receivers, which last week featured Bobby Engram (24 receptions) and Koren Robinson (20 receptions, 2 TD) most prominently, hasn't helped either. The Hawks' most reliable target this year has been rookie tight end John Carlson (32 receptions, 3 TD), who hauled in his team-leading third touchdown catch of the year last Sunday. The running game has also been hit- or-miss, though Maurice Morris (278 rushing yards, 11 receptions, 2 TD) added value with his first 100-yard game of the year against the Redskins, also catching a touchdown pass. Usual starter Julius Jones (637 rushing yards, 2 TD, 14 receptions), who will face his former team for the first time this week, garnered a season-low two carries while dealing with a calf problem versus Washington.

The Dallas defense has not often been dominant in 2008, though the Cowboys do rank a respectable eighth in the league overall (294.5 yards per game) and come off a week in which they held talented 49ers running back Frank Gore firmly in check. Gore managed just 26 yards on 14 carries in the contest, and was limited to one catch out of the backfield on the day. Inside linebackers Zach Thomas (74 tackles, 1 sack) and Bradie James (68 tackles, 3 sacks) remain 1-2 on the club in tackles. The concentration on Gore left San Francisco some openings in other areas, particularly in the passing game where quarterback Shaun Hill threw for more than 300 yards and wideout Isaac Bruce was over 100 yards. On the big play front, cornerback Anthony Henry (36 tackles, 2 sacks) came up with his first interception of the year, and top pass rushers DeMarcus Ware (58 tackles, 12 sacks), Jay Ratliff (34 tackles, 6 sacks), and Greg Ellis (24 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 INT) contributed to the team total of four sacks against Hill. The secondary could take a hit if cornerback Terence Newman (19 tackles, 1 INT) is unavailable this week due to a persistent groin injury, though Dallas should have some insurance in the secondary with Adam "Pacman" Jones (25 tackles) expected to return from his latest suspension.

WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL

As mentioned, Romo (2228 passing yards, 18 TD, 7 INT) and Owens (47 receptions, 7 TD) come off their best outing of the season, as the pitch-and- catch combo had everything to do with Dallas' win over San Francisco. The duo connected on seven passes for a whopping 213 yards and two touchdowns, with Owens' receiving total ranking as the second-highest of his near-certain Hall of Fame career. Romo also threw scoring strikes to Patrick Crayton (29 receptions, 3 TD) and tight end Martellus Bennett (13 receptions, 3 TD), while Roy Williams (26 receptions, 2 TD) added value with three grabs totaling 36 yards. In the running game, Marion Barber (838 rushing yards, 46 receptions, 8 TD) followed up an outstanding effort against the Redskins the week before by totaling 109 yards on 26 total touches, including seven receptions for 50 yards out of the backfield. Pressure on the quick-triggered Romo tends not to be an issue, as the Pro Bowler has been dropped just eight times all season. Dallas enters the week ranked 10th in the league in total offense (348.2 yards per game), though that number is somewhat skewed by the three games the club played without Romo in the lineup.

Romo and company will be going up against a once-proud Seattle defense that has fallen on hard times this year. The Seahawks enter Week 13 ranked 29th in NFL total defense (381.2 yards per game), including 31st against the pass (259.2 yards per game) and 22nd against the run (122 yards per game). The club's problems against ground attacks were evident last week, when the Redskins' Clinton Portis churned up 143 yards on 29 carries to help Washington dominate time of possession. That situation also took away the perceived strength of the Seahawks defense - the pass rush - though outside linebacker Julian Peterson (64 tackles, 5 sacks) and end Daryl Tapp (39 tackles, 3 sacks) both had sacks in the game. Seattle has struggled in coverage for most of the year, which is hardly a good sign against Dallas' outstanding fleet of receivers. Marcus Trufant (43 tackles) and Josh Wilson (56 tackles, 2 INT) will likely be matched with Owens and Roy Williams on Thursday, with safeties Deon Grant (50 tackles, 2 INT) and Brian Russell (49 tackles, 1 sack) attempting to lend help over the top. When Barber runs the football, a front seven led by middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu (68 tackles) and tackle Rocky Bernard (38 tackles, 3 sacks) will have to be on its game.

FANTASY FOCUS

The Seahawks' best fantasy options are all second-string at this point. Hasselbeck, his receivers, and the running backs have not been nearly consistent enough to merit starting assignments, especially against a Dallas team that has the ability to make life tough on opposing offenses. The best starting candidate might be Carlson, who remains a strong red-zone option for Hasselbeck.

On the other side, Dallas could start your fantasy week off with a bang. Romo, Barber, and Owens are all must-starts, and Witten, Williams, Crayton, kicker Nick Folk and the Cowboys defense are all worth considering as well given the struggling nature of the Seahawks on both sides of the ball.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

In this case, looking ahead would be a smart thing for the Cowboys to do. Dallas must look at its arduous concluding four-game schedule and know that Thursday represents an absolute-must win if it wishes to keep a firm hold on its playoff hopes. Luckily for Phillips and company, the Seahawks should be a compliant opponent. Seattle won't totally flat-line on Thursday, but the Seahawks have not been a good road team this year and simply don't have the offensive or defensive horses to go toe-to-toe with the Cowboys for four quarters. Look for this one to be close for a half or so, with Dallas pulling away in the third quarter.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 30, Seahawks 13