Seahawks @ Cowboys National Expert Picks: How Dare Anybody Pick The Cowboys!

Everybody knows that the Seahawks will beat the Cowboys on Sunday. At least that's what our selection of experts believe, as they almost unanimously favor of Seattle.

In fact, the mere suggestion that the Cowboys could come away with an upset win draws derisive sneers even from many Cowboys fans.

Upsets happen every week in the NFL, why not on Sunday in Dallas? And if not an upset, perhaps a close game? Case Keefer from the Las Vegas Sun at least likes the Cowboys' chances of covering the spread:

For all the verbal abuse Dallas’ offense has taken, it’s still moving at a clip of 5.8 yards per play or slightly better than Seattle’s 5.6 yards per play. Let’s not forget Dallas has the rare offensive line strong enough to slow Seattle’s feared pass rush.

The published opinions polled below leave no doubt whatsoever about the outcome of the game.

Name (Cowboys Accuracy)	Pick	Score	Comment
Elliot Harrison, NFL.com (5-1)		26-14	Can Matt Cassel make plays on a Seattle defense that dominated Beats by Dre, I mean, Colin Kaepernick last week? While aware that the Cowboys won this matchup in Seattle last season, Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray were integral to that victory. Romo is sidelined, while Murray is in Philadelphia watching Ryan Mathews make more explosive runs.
Sam Farmer, LA Times (4-2)		24-21	Without Tony Romo, Dallas has been in week-by-week tailspin. Matt Cassel took more risks than Brandon Weeden and the turnovers followed. Seattle’s defense should be able to capitalize.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (4-2)		21-14	The Cowboys are spiraling downward without Tony Romo. He won't be back here, so that's a problem. The Seahawks are playing consecutive road games, but they will have had 10 days off. They seemed to get right at San Francisco last week. They do so here, too. It's a close one.
Michael Smith, Pro Football Talk (4-2)		24-10	If Tony Romo were playing, this would be a great game. With Matt Cassel at the helm, it’s hard to see the Cowboys keeping it close. The Seahawks’ defense will shut the Cowboys’ offense down and Seattle will win easily.
David Steele, Sporting News (4-2)		26-19	In football news, Matt Cassel is the Cowboys' quarterback again.
Greg Cote, Miami Herald (3-3)		23-14	Cowboys have won five of past six meetings, including last year in Seattle. And ’Hawks have lost their past three trips to Dallas. My pick would be different with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant in there, but ’Boys are 0-4 without Romo, and Matt Cassel reminded last week why he can’t be trusted. Looks like Greg Hardy will be yelling at coaches and teammates again.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk (3-3)		21-17	If the Cowboys weren’t in the NFC East, a fifth loss could doom them. But they can drop yet another and still make a run at the crown once both Dez Bryant and Tony Romo are back. Which is the only good news for Dallas, because the Seahawks have started to turn the corner.
Peter Schrager, Foxsports (2-4)		30-24	I have no problem with Greg Hardy and Dez Bryant getting into it on the sideline. I actually kind of like it. But Greg Hardy getting into it with longtime special teams coach Rich Bisaccia? No. As Hall and Oates once said, "I can't go for that." But Hardy's not going anywhere, so get used to it, Cowboys fans. He will wreak havoc on that struggling Seattle offensive line on Sunday, but I just don't see it being enough to get a W. Fun one, here, that I see Seattle winning late.

In addition to the selection of experts above who provide a rationale for their picks, many other experts don't provide any specific commentary, and are summarized in the table below:

Last year, Jarrett Bell, NFL Columnist for USA TODAY Sports and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, was the only member of the many panels above to pick the Cowboys to win in Seattle. This year he once again picks the Cowboys for an upset win over the Seahawks, and he's joined by five other panelists.

How dare they!

After all, everybody knows the Cowboys have no chance on Sunday. Don't  you?