ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — DaRon Bland added to his NFL-leading interception total with a nifty pick, though that didn’t really make up for the big plays against the Dallas Cowboys cornerback before they rallied to avoid their first home loss this season.
Bland didn’t return this one for a touchdown — he already has the NFL record with five picks returned for scores — but his eighth interception of the season late in the third quarter ended a streak of three consecutive TD drives for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Cowboys failed to convert that into a go-ahead score, but Dak Prescott’s 12-yard TD to Jake Ferguson and ensuing 2-point conversion with 4:37 left propelled them to a 41-35 victory Thursday night.
Seattle (6-6) entered the game without an offensive touchdown on its previous 20 possessions.
That streak ended in a hurry against Dallas (9-3) and Bland. DK Metcalf beat the corner for a 73-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the Seahawks’ opening drive for a 7-3 lead.
Metcalf later had a 34-yard completion against Bland to the Cowboys 23, though Jason Myers missed a 42-yard field goal attempt right after a delay of game penalty backed the Seahawks up 5 yards.
The Seahawks led 21-20 at halftime on Metcalf’s 1-yard TD catch in the final seconds. They were there after a 29-yard pass interference call against Bland in the end zone, on a play that was initially ruled a touchdown before a replay review determined no catch and the ball was placed on the 1 for the penalty.
On the touchdown drive before that, Jaxon Smith-Njigba spun away from Bland for an 11-yard gain on third-and-5 near midfield.
That was 118 yards on just those three big plays and a 29-yard penalty against Bland by halftime.
Metcalf’s first touchdown marked the first time this season that the Cowboys trailed at home. They had won each of their previous five games at AT&T Stadium by an average margin of 29 points — the closest being 20 points.
Bland got his interception with 2:56 left in the third quarter, outleaping Tyler Lockett at the Seahawks 38. The Cowboys failed on a fourth-down conversion before Seattle drove for its last score.
Dallas extended its home winning streak to 14 games, with NFC East-leading Philadelphia (10-1) visiting next on Dec. 10.
The Eagles on Sunday host San Francisco (8-3), which beat Dallas 42-10 on Oct. 8 and leads the Seahawks in the NFC West.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
2023-12-01 05:01:46
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