SEATTLE — Four Dallas Cowboys running backs carried the ball Saturday night. None of them got more than 8 attempts, and the leading rusher finished with 39 yards.
Javonte Williams did not dress for the 17-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
How The Carries Split
Malik Davis carried 7 times for 39 yards to lead Dallas. Israel Abanikanda had 7 carries for 36. Jaydon Blue took 8 for 19 and caught both of his targets for 15 yards. Phil Mafah had 4 for 9 with a 6-yard reception before Dallas announced him out with a chest injury as the fourth quarter began.
Dallas ran it 36 times for 137 yards. Sam Howell accounted for 15 of those yards and Joe Milton III added 10.
Through the first half, Seattle’s front plugged the middle. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the run numbers showed it, and that Dallas opened the third quarter with a perimeter play it had been holding back.
A back only gets what is blocked. Schottenheimer said all of his ran hard.
“You’ve got to get what’s blocked,” Schottenheimer said. “And again, I thought all of our guys ran hard. I mean, give it up for Malik Davis. Just the holiday hero. I mean, he just — it wasn’t a holiday. Was it a holiday? I don’t think it was a holiday. But I mean, he’s amazing. Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, whatever the day is, 14th of August. I love that guy.”
Israel Abanikanda Closes It Out
With 6:32 left, Dallas took over at its own 15. Five first downs later, Milton was kneeling on it, and Seattle had not touched the ball again.
Seattle anticipated what was ahead. Schottenheimer expressed pride in the offense for remaining on the field after the muffed punt instead of giving up possession.
“I think I’ll work backwards,” Schottenheimer explained. “I thought late in the game Izzy ran really hard, man. It was heavy box, and they knew that we were in four minutes, and I’m really proud of our ability to stay on the field and not have to give them the ball back after we got the big stop after the muffed punt. I thought Izzy ran really, really hard. I thought the receivers blocked really well.
“Malik, he’s just a slasher, man, and his vision and understanding of blocking schemes and all that I think was great,” Schottenheimer detailed. “Phil had some really good runs. And then Jaydon, there wasn’t a whole lot there, but you get him going on screens and things like that, he’s a weapon.”
Blue’s 15 receiving yards on 2 catches were the screen work Schottenheimer pointed to.
Javonte Williams Sits
In February, Dallas re-signed Williams to a three-year, $24 million contract. Last season, he appeared in 16 games, rushing 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns, and catching 35 passes for 137 yards and an additional 2 scores.
Mafah’s chest injury was one of two things Schottenheimer mentioned coming out of a physical game, along with Justin Barron getting rocked. Everyone was expected to be treated in Oxnard on Sunday.
Dallas is back in Oxnard, California, with open practices planned until August 18. The Cowboys face the Arizona Cardinals on August 22, with kickoff at 9 p.m. CT.
