Enemy Reaction 2017: Dallas Cowboys

The Seattle Seahawks ruined Christmas for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans, as Seattle won 21-12 despite an offensive performance that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the 1992 team. Seattle still has a chance at making the playoffs, while the Cowboys are all finished for the season, having gone a pitiful 3-5 at their very expensive home.

What better Christmas gift can I provide Field Gulls a brand new than Enemy Reaction? It’s been dormant over the past two weeks, but it makes its triumphant return for the team that everybody loves to hate. Let’s get right into it, with Cowboys comments courtesy of Blogging the Boys.

Dan Bailey banks in a field goal off the right upright (6-0 DAL)

Russell Wilson takes a really bad 22-yard sack (6-0 DAL)

Byron Maxwell forces Dez Bryant to fumble, K.J. Wright recovers (6-0 DAL)

Cowboys get flagged for pass interference in the end zone (6-0 DAL)

Former basketball player Jimmy Graham catches a touchdown (7-6 SEA)

Dak Prescott tosses Justin Coleman a Christmas gift (14-9 SEA)

Justin Coleman gets called for pass interference because... reasons (14-9 SEA)

Dak Prescott escapes two sacks, finds Dez Bryant for 33 yards (14-12 SEA)

Dak and Dez dysfunction leads to a K.J. Wright interception (14-12 SEA)

Germain Ifedi appears to get away with holding on a Doug Baldwin conversion (14-12 SEA)

Touchdown, Doug Baldwin! (21-12 SEA)

Byron Maxwell gets flagged for pass interference because... reasons (21-12 SEA)

Cowboys offense ignores Ezekiel Elliott, goes backwards after having 1st and goal at the 3 (21-12 SEA)

Dan Bailey misses a chipshot field goal (21-12 SEA)

See ya later, Cowboys! (21-12 SEA FINAL)

...Eagles fans sure loved watching the Cowboys fail! (Bleeding Green Nation)

Post-Game: The Cowboys beat themselves (Brian Martin, Inside the Star)

You shouldn’t be ashamed of how you probably feel right now about the Dallas Cowboys and their performance against the Seahawks. The Seahawks shouldn’t have won, but the Cowboys defeated themselves with poor decision-making and untimely turnovers. It’s a formula that more times than not ends in disaster.

The sad truth is the Seahawks ended the game with more penalty yards than they did with total yards on offense. And unfortunately, the Cowboys offense just weren’t able to capitalize on several trips into the red zone, instead having to settle for field goals. To make matters even worse, Dan Bailey wasn’t as automatic as he typically is.

So, even though we’re all probably angry right now, don’t let it spoil Christmas when you open your presents and discover you have been given the gift of Dallas Cowboys gear. We all just have to put this game and 2017 season behind us and hopefully focus on the positive things that happened this year. Successful or not, that’s what I’m going to try to do.

Post-Game: Dak Prescott has lost his moxie (K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire)

Dallas will have several questions over the offseason, including what will happen to their coaching staff. They let a team with 136 yards of offense beat them in a game they absolutely couldn’t lose.

The playcalling was been [sic] hideous. There was no evidence the Seahawks could stop the Cowboys rushing game. Yet, the Cowboys continuously leaned on a passing game that was non-existent.

Sure, Elliott had rust (witnessed in his horrible pass protection), but there are running backs who have performed admirably in the last several weeks in Alfred Morris and Rod Smith. A 40-rush game was not out of the question.

The passing game wasn’t working. Dak Prescott was holding the ball too long, scared to pull the trigger and fit the ball in tight spaces. Sometimes, they were wide open spaces. He’s lost his moxie and it’s troubling to see him be so apprehensive with such a lack of vision.

Dez Bryant had a bad, bad game with two drops, including one that turned into an interception. He also had the ball punched out by Byron Maxwell. That led to Seattle’s first touchdown. Bryant leads the NFL in drops with 12.

Post-Game Video: He mad (Rant from UltimateCowboy82)

Bonus Reaction: Buttception! (The Falcoholic)

Bonus: Detroit Lions eliminated from playoff contention (Pride of Detroit)

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This is it. Seattle is into the playoffs with a win over the Arizona Cardinals and a loss or tie by the Atlanta Falcons against the Carolina Panthers. The Seahawks have really not been a good home team, and Arizona has won in Seattle three out of the last four trips, as well as more times than any other Seahawks opponent at CenturyLink Field. Seattle’s lone home win against the Cardinals over the past four seasons came in 2014, and Arizona’s starter that day just so happened to be Drew Stanton.

Let’s hope that 2017 ends on the highest of high notes, because anything less means that the next time we see the Seahawks in meaningful game time is September 2018.

Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks! (And go Panthers for a day!)