Game Preview: Seahawks travel to Dallas, looking to keep playoff hopes alive

SEATTLE — Coming off one of the more disappointing losses in the Pete Carroll era, the (8-6) Seahawks will look to rebound against the (8-6) Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Seattle lost 42-7 in week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams, and now need to win their remaining two games and need other NFC teams to lose in order to reach the playoffs for the sixth season in a row.

Coming off a six-game suspension for domestic violence, the Cowboys will welcome back all-pro running back Ezekiel Elliot to the field for the first time since early November. ​

The Cowboys will prove to be a similar opponent to the L.A. Rams in that they also have a pro-bowl running back, a physical offense line, and an up-and-coming second-year quarterback.

While the opponent will be similar, the Seahawks are certainly hoping for a different result.

Watch Steve Raible's Scouting Report on Saturday at 7 p.m. on KIRO 7 for a complete preview of Sunday's game against the Cowboys. Hear the best of Steve's interviews this season with Seahawks stars Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Cliff Avril, and more  

Here are three keys to a Sunday victory for the Seahawks:

Overlooked in last Sunday's loss to the Rams was the Seahawks' inability to slow down Pharoah Cooper on punt and kick off returns.

Cooper finished the game with seven punt returns for 128 yards, an average of 18.3 yards per return. Cooper's 128 punt return yards were 46 more than the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seahawks gave up all season.

The big returns led to the Rams' starting six first-half possessions inside of Seahawks territory, of which the Rams scored on all six. For the game, the Rams average starting field possession was their own 47-yard-line.

The Seahawks will welcome back former special teams captain DeShawn Shead for the first time this season since tearing his ACL in last year's playoff loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Shead, and the rest of the Seahawks' special teams unit will need to be on their A-game for Seattle to get a win on Sunday.

The Seahawks quickly found out how much their defense relies on linebacker K.J. Wright who missed last week with a concussion, and a healthier Bobby Wagner, who played through a hamstring injury, in last week's loss to the Rams.

Todd Gurley ran for 152 of the Rams' 244 rushing yards on the day against a Seahawks defense riddled with backups.

With K.J. Wright set to return, and Bobby Wagner feeling healthier this week, the Seahawks will need to get all that they can from their linebacker duo to slow down a fresh and rested Ezekiel Elliott.

Limiting Elliott to an average of less than four yards per carry, and not missing tackles, will go a long way towards a Seahawks victory on Sunday.

The Seahawks offense was unable to get out of their own way last week, with quarterback Russell Wilson sacked a season-high seven times.

Negative plays like sacks are difficult for this Seahawks team to overcome as they have been unable to rely on a running game to pick up yards on first downs.

The Cowboys enter Sunday's game with 32 sacks on the season, led by 13.5 from DeMarcus Lawrence -- good for third in the NFL.

Left tackle Duane Brown will look to slow down Lawrence and the rest of the Seahawks young offensive line will need to give Russell Wilson enough time to make plays downfield for the Seahawks to win on Sunday.

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