Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks: Coach Reveals 1 Key to 'Thursday Night Football' Win

The Dallas Cowboys begin a tough stretch of games, beginning with the Seattle Seahawks, and coach Mike McCarthy is ready for the opportunity - and is ID'ing one key to victory.

The Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks battle at AT&T Stadium with the first of five straight games against teams with winning records beginning for coach Mike McCarthy's team.

While the Seahawks are currently on a two-game losing streak and are coming off a poor result against the San Francisco 49ers, they have more than enough weapons on both sides of the ball to cause Dallas trouble.

For McCarthy, job No. 1 against this Seattle defense is to protect the football.

"They do a good job of taking the ball away," McCarthy said. "We need to protect the ball at all costs, and we need to take it away ourselves. We know the type of football they like to play defensively. We're looking at this as an excellent, excellent opportunity."

McCarthy is right; the 6-5 Seahawks, defensively, have forced a turnover in seven of their last eight games (12 in total during that span), so Dak Prescott will have to be vigilant going against the Seahawks' playmaking secondary.

And on the other side of the ball, coordinator Dan Quinn's defense might have its hands full with Seattle's offense, particularly with the rushing attack.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is ready for the Seattle Seahawks challenge / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

While 8-3 Dallas hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher yet this season, the Cowboys do sometimes give up ground, as they have allowed over 100 yards collectively in their last four games.

The Seahawks possess a fine running game with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet, as both average over four yards per carry through the season.

"It'll start with our run defense being challenged, when they line up with the ball," McCarthy said. "I think both teams take a lot of pride in how we play. We're looking at this as it's gonna be an extremely physical, active football game."