Seattle Seahawks Coach Shane Waldron Reveals 1 Key to Improving Offense vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Seattle Seahawks are on a two-game losing streak and face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Thursday night as they look to get back to their winning ways.
Against the San Francisco 49ers in a 31-13 loss on Thanksgiving, the Seattle offense at one point near the end of the first half had just 15 total yards and was 0 of 4 on third down. With Seattle's offense showing its capabilities throughout the season, that type of performance was eyebrow-raising.
As they prepare for Dallas, Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron revealed what can make the offense click into gear against the Cowboys, and it unsurprisingly involves quarterback Geno Smith.
“The one aspect I think for Geno is that timing and rhythm in the pass game, especially in the known passing situations in the 3rd down,” Waldron said. “But for those things to happen for Geno, there's a lot of things that go into it, and I think for us as an offense as a whole in the passing game, taking all 11 every snap into account, including Geno, I think that's one thing where we're looking to take a step forward.”
![San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field.](https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MjAyNDIxMjMzMTM0ODcxNTY0/usatsi_19631450.jpg)
Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has revealed that being better on third down looms as a big key for his offense against the Cowboys.
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Third down has been an issue all season for the Seahawks. Through 11 weeks, their offense ranks 29th in the NFL in converting third downs at just 31.3 percent of the time, an obvious reason why the offense stumbles.
Unfortunately for Seattle, coordinator Dan Quinn's Cowboys defense is one of the best in getting off the field on third down.
Through Dallas' 11 games, it ranks second in allowing third-down conversions (34.7 percent) but it gets worse for Seattle. When playing at home, the Cowboys are even better, allowing a conversion just 25.4 percent of the time.
So that looms as a key for the Seahawks if they are to stop the Dallas juggernaut at home. Convert third downs and build long, sustained drives that keep Dak Prescott and the offense off the field.
It seems simple enough, but one of the Seahawks' biggest weaknesses is one of the Cowboys' strengths, and that looms as a deciding factor if Seattle can snap its two-game losing streak.