IRVING, Texas - Don't underestimate the power of the bye week.
After it arguably helped the Cowboys beat Atlanta on Sunday, the Seahawks are coming in refreshed and reloaded after a weekend vacation. Might the extra time they had to prepare be a factor?
What's Up?
The Seahawks are kind of hard to figure out. They've been bad at times, most of the time in fact, coming in for Sunday's noon (CST) kickoff at just 2-4, though two of the losses came with the franchise quarterback out of the lineup.
But when Seattle has been on they've been downright machine-like. The combined score in the Seahawks' two wins this season against St. Louis and Jacksonville? 69-0. With Matt Hasselbeck now healthy and a defense which has twice demonstrated the ability to dominate games, the Seahawks can't be overlooked.
Here's something the Seahawks aren't overlooking: The Cowboys have a $78 million pass rusher, and Seattle appears likely to trot out its fifth option at left tackle on Sunday.
Statistical View
Hasselbeck missed Seattle's losses to Indianapolis and Chicago with a fractured rib. In the two Seahawks wins this season he has thrown for 520 yards with seven touchdowns to just two interceptions. In the two losses as a starter Hasselbeck has thrown for just 209 yards with a pick.
Former Cowboys running back Julius Jones has been Seattle's leader on the ground this year. The former second-round pick has run for 290 yards on 74 carries, with one touchdown, a 62-yarder.
In his first year with the Seahawks, receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh doesn't seem to have been negatively affected by the cross-country move. The former Bengal has 31 catches for 359 yards with two scores, and his 11.6 yards per reception is slightly higher than his career average.
In the two shutouts Seattle has pitched, their success began with stopping the opponent's Pro Bowl running back. The Rams' Steven Jackson had just 67 yards against them in the season-opener, and in Week 5 Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville was held to only 34 yards.
Chalk Talk
The chain of command at Seattle's left tackle position started with venerable former All-Pro Walter Jones, who has missed all six games following knee surgery. Backup Sean Locklear has missed four games with an ankle injury, and it doesn't appear likely he will return Sunday. Third-year tackle Brandon Frye has been placed on injured reserve. Fourth option Kyle Williams has been sent back down to the practice squad.
So what's left for the Seahawks is ninth-year veteran Damion McIntosh, who has enjoyed a good career in the NFL, with 111 starts in 115 career games, but only arrived in Seattle two weeks ago. As much experience as McIntosh has, he's 32, it's unlikely the Seahawks would leave him on an island to block DeMarcus Ware by himself very often. A double-team on Ware should open things up for the Cowboys' other pass rushers. If the Cowboys can keep Jones from getting things going on the ground, they should have plenty of success when Hasselbeck tries to throw.
Cornerback Marcus Trufant (back) could return from missing the first six weeks of the season. The Cowboys will surely test his rustiness with the hot hand of Miles Austin.
Connections
Cowboys free safety Ken Hamlin played the first four seasons of his career with the Seahawks, who selected him 42nd overall in 2003 . . . Cowboys backup quarterback Jon Kitna, who grew up near Seattle and played collegiately at Central Washington, started his career with the Seahawks. He signed with them as an undrafted free agent in 1996 and went on to start 33 games there before signing with Cincinnati in 2001 . . . Cowboys punter Mat McBriar had a cup of coffee with the Seahawks in 2003, spending nine days with the team during training camp and playing one preseason game . . . Seahawks running back Julius Jones played four season with the Cowboys, starting 51 games.
Miscellaneous
Emmitt Smith broke the league's all-time rushing record against the Seahawks on Oct. 27, 2002, a 17-14 Seattle win . . . Running back Edgerrin James, who signed with Seattle in the preseason, needs 15 yards to move into 10th place on the all-time rushing list. He's currently 6,127 yards behind Smith . . . The Cowboys are 7-5 all-time against Seattle . . . The teams met last Thanksgiving, the Cowboys winning 34-9 . . . A Cowboys win would give them three straight, the first such streak since Weeks 11-13 of last season, the third win coming over the Seahawks on Thanksgiving . . . Tony Romo will be going for the first three-game streak without an interception of his career.
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Josh Ellis - 
