Most players, coaches, and even fans alike will readily admit that the score doesn't matter in the preseason. That the Dallas Cowboys beat the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks by a 17-7 margin in their own house is a nice bonus and surely made for a pleasant plane ride back to training camp in Oxnard, but the real story of Saturday night in Seattle was how the team looked doing it. It was one exhibition played largely by backups against backups, but there would seem to be genuine reason to be optimistic about this Cowboys squad. As with all games, whether they count or not, a deeper dive into the stat sheet does show some specific glimmers of hope... but also some areas that still need improvement. The ground attack looked strong, for instance, and the competition for the backup quarterback job appears to be a horse race. The defense? Legitimate, at least in this first test. Penalties continue to be a maddening issue, though, and special teams allowed Seattle to set up shop way too far down the gridiron, putting the defense's backs to the wall on multiple occasions. Let's go inside just a few of the numbers that tell the story of the Cowboys' preseason-opening win over the Seahawks. 5.4: Average yards-per-carry from Malik Davis, Israel Abanikanda
Malik Davis was DAL's best RB against SEA. Displayed good patience, vision and footwork between the tackles consistently. Very nice outing for him. #Cowboyspic.twitter.com/8GI5ggQTxf — John Owning (@JohnOwning) August 16, 2026 Both got most of their work late — after the Seahawks defense was fielding lesser players and after the Cowboys' O-line woke up from a shaky start — but it was 5.1 for Abanikanda, and 5.6 for Davis. it appears the battle for the RB2 spot behind Javonte Williams could get very interesting; second-year men Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah were unremarkable (and Mafah left the game early with a chest injury). Davis has been let go by the Cowboys five different times over four years and always picked back up. The secret is out now; the club won't be able to hide him on the waiver wire again. 13: Penalties committed by Cowboys Sloppiness is to be expected in the first preseason game, but the Cowboys coaches won't be happy about 13 penalties, giving away 103 yards of field position over the course of the night. Caelen Carson drew two flags in the game's first five minutes and then added a third a little later. Offensive linemen Drew Shelton, Nate Thomas, and Marcellus Johnson were all nabbed for false starts, an easily avoidable mistake that has been known to cost a bubble player at a crowded position his playbook. 20:54: Time of possession in 2nd half The Cowboys never gave Seattle much of an opportunity to get back in the game after halftime. Between the offense putting together 13- and 14-play possessions and the defense not allowing any Seahawks drive after the break to go for more than six plays or beyond 17 yards, both sides for Dallas were simply smothering. Seattle never even touched the ball in the final six and a half minutes of play. 35.0: Average punt return yards allowed
Rashad Rochelle just flipped the field ⚡ 52 yards. pic.twitter.com/K3QJVbzwbt — Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2026 Special teams had some issues last season, and some in Cowboys Nation wondered why coordinator Nick Sorensen was brought back in 2026. The question remains after Saturday night. Giving up an average of 18.5 yards on four kickoffs was bad enough, but Rashad Rochelle's 52-yard punt return in the third quarter left the coverage team looking silly, with Cowboys players getting pushed out of their lanes and missing tackles. The defense bailed them out with a strong stand and a turnover on downs; they may have to do it more often if the Dallas punt squad makes this a habit. 49: Net passing yards allowed Obviously, two-time Pro Bowler Sam Darnold and the dynamic WR duo of Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were in street clothes; Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe didn't exactly light it up in their absence. The Seattle passers combined for 76 passing yards on 21 attempts. Subtract the 27 yards Milroe lost on his three sacks, and the net passing total drops to 49. For a Cowboys pass defense that famously was last in the league last season in yards allowed, this was a major show of improvement, even if it was against the Seahawks' B-team. 75%: Red-zone defensive success rate
#Cowboys Defense GOAL LINE STAND After Muffed Punt! #attackoncowboys#dallascowboyspic.twitter.com/4gtK2oTEIA — Attack! on Cowboys ✭ (@AttackOnCowboys) August 16, 2026 Christian Parker's defense looked awfully suspect on that first Seattle drive, giving up a touchdown early. But the rest of the night, Seattle crossed into the Cowboys red zone three more times and came away with zero points to show for it. Sure, in a real game, Seahawks head coach Mike Mcdonald probably elects to kick field goals instead of going for it on a pair of 4th downs inside the Dallas 10. But that goal-line stand- shutting down Seattle on four straight plays after the Traeshon Holden muffed punt on the 5-yard-line- was something this defense can definitely keep building on as proof that they're ascending. 119.5: Combined passer rating of Sam Howell, Joe Milton The backups went a combined 20-of-27 passing for 201 yards, two scores, and no interceptions. Did one outshine the other in any obvious way? Not really, although Howell's rushing numbers look more impressive thanks to a 10-yard scramble. The fact that both neither hesitated to use their legs to get out of trouble demonstrates that the Cowboys have a definite type in mind for the QB2 job and likely reflects how Dak Prescott is planning to play this season, too. The understudy competition will continue with Howell and Milton seemingly neck-and-neck at this stage. Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: By the Numbers: Cowboys smother Seahawks in possession; QB2 & RB2 battles look to be spicy