It is Day 83 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
It’s Day 83 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff and we revisit one of the most entertaining regular-season games of the Mike McCarthy-Dak Prescott era. The Cowboys entered Thursday Night Football at 8-3, unbeaten at home, and trying to keep pace near the top of the NFC. Seattle came in at 6-5 and badly needed a win to strengthen its own playoff position. What followed was a wild 76-point shootout with five lead changes, no punts, massive receiver performances, and just enough late-game execution from Dallas to survive.
Thursday, November 30, 2023 — 8:15 p.m. ET
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 41, Seattle Seahawks 35
Dallas started with a Brandon Aubrey field goal, but Seattle immediately answered with a 73-yard touchdown from Geno Smith to D.K. Metcalf. Dak Prescott responded by finding CeeDee Lamb for a 15-yard score, and the first quarter ended with Dallas ahead 10-7. That set the tone for the night. Every time one team landed a punch, the other had an answer.
The second quarter was just as frantic. Brandin Cooks caught a seven-yard touchdown from Prescott to push Dallas ahead 17-7, but Seattle rallied behind a Zach Charbonnet touchdown run and a one-yard Metcalf score just before halftime. Despite Dallas scoring 20 first-half points, the Cowboys went into the locker room trailing 21-20.
Seattle stretched the lead in the third quarter when Smith ran for a five-yard touchdown, making it 28-20. Tony Pollard answered with a six-yard touchdown run, but early in the fourth quarter Metcalf struck again, catching his third touchdown of the night to put Seattle up 35-27. At that point, the Cowboys were in real trouble.
That is when the game became a test of late-game execution. Aubrey cut the deficit to 35-30 with a 38-yard field goal, and the Dallas defense finally started making stops. DeMarcus Lawrence stuffed Charbonnet on fourth-and-1 near midfield, giving Prescott the opening he needed. Prescott then led the go-ahead drive and found Jake Ferguson for a 12-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion to Cooks made it 38-35 Dallas.
Aubrey later added a 32-yard field goal to make it 41-35, but Seattle still had one more chance. Smith moved the Seahawks toward midfield, only for the Dallas pass rush to heat up at the perfect time. On the final meaningful snap, Micah Parsons pressured Smith into a fourth-down incompletion, sealing a chaotic and badly needed Cowboys win.
Prescott was excellent, finishing 29-of-41 for 299 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 115.8 passer rating. Lamb caught 12 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, Ferguson added six catches for 77 yards and the decisive fourth-quarter score, and Aubrey went 4-for-4 on field goals. Seattle got a monster night from Metcalf, who caught six passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns, while Smith threw for 334 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
This game belongs on the countdown because it showed a different kind of Cowboys win. Dallas had spent much of the 2023 home schedule blowing teams out, but this one demanded poise. The defense struggled, penalties piled up, and Seattle repeatedly looked ready to steal it. Instead, Prescott kept answering, Aubrey stayed perfect, and the Cowboys made three late fourth-down stops to escape with one of the most dramatic wins of the season.
Interesting Facts About the Game
This was just the fifth regular-season game in NFL history with zero combined punts. Dallas and Seattle combined for 817 total yards, 76 points, and 19 penalties, making it both thrilling and messy.
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100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84
