NFL-Seahawks keep season alive as Cowboys lose fifth in a row

Nov 1 (The Sports Xchange) - The Seattle Seahawks aren't about to apologize for an uneven and, some might say, ugly offensive showing against Dallas on Sunday. The important thing for the defending NFC champions is they are 4-4 halfway through the season. "We made it back to even," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "I don't think it feels much different than last year. It's very similar." Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson did just enough with his arm and his legs, and kicker Steven Hauschka provided the foot to lift the Seahawks to a potential season-salvaging 13-12 victory over the reeling Dallas Cowboys. Hauschka delivered a game-deciding 24-yard field goal with 1:06 remaining to quiet the majority of the 91,486 fans at AT&T Stadium. The Seahawks won two straight going into their bye week and are currently two games back of 6-2 Arizona in the NFC East. Wilson passed for 210 yards with a touchdown and ran for another 33 yards. His ability to keep plays alive by getting out of the pocket to either throw or run was never more evident than in the go-ahead drive. Wilson engineered a 17-play march that covered 79 yards and chewed more than five minutes off the clock. Despite not getting into the end zone, Hauschka came on for a chip-shot field goal. "We are lucky that we finished the game with a win, with Steven kicking the field goal," Wilson said. "Offensively, we were moving the ball pretty well. We had some rough plays on third down, but when we needed it we converted and made the plays on the last drive." The Cowboys (2-5) are going in the opposite direction. Injuries to quarterback Tony Romo and receiver Dez Bryant started the losing streak that has reached five games. Dallas' final gasp ended when quarterback Matt Cassel's fourth-down pass fell incomplete. Wilson came into the game having been sacked a league-high 31 times, but he wasn't brought down once behind the line by the Cowboys. He completed 19 of 30 passes and survived one interception. "The offensive line was phenomenal," Wilson said. "No sacks. They really stepped up." Bryant returned Sunday after missing five games with a broken left foot suffered in the season opener. The emotional lift that Bryant provided wasn't matched by his production. Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman blanketed Bryant all over the field. Wherever the Cowboys' No. 1 receiver lined up -- right, left or slot -- Sherman was there. "Anytime me and Dez play, it is a total battle," said Sherman, who was credited with four passes defended. "Nothing but mutual respect, but it is a battle every play." Bryant was out there for the majority of the offensive snaps, but was only targeted by Cassel six times. Bryant didn't make his first reception until the third quarter, and that one went for negative yardage. "We'd love to get him more involved and we tried throughout the course of the game, but unfortunately we weren't able to do much," Cassel said. Bryant finished with two catches for 12 yards. He hasn't scored a touchdown in four career games against Seattle. The fiery Bryant, however, refused to credit the job done by Sherman. "Let me get something straight real quick," Bryant said. "Hey, man, ain't nobody got locked down over here. Let's get real." The Cowboys finished with just 220 yards of offense. Cassel was 13-of-25 passing for just 97 yards. "They did a good job against us," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. "We didn't do enough offensively." The first half ended with a scary moment, as Seattle receiver Ricardo Lockette was injured on punt coverage and had to be taken off the field strapped to a stretcher. Lockette had a concussion and full movement, it was later announced. (Editing by Andrew Both)