Seahawks prep for 'measuring stick' matchup vs Cowboys

Seattle free safety Earl Thomas (29) lines up before a play in the first quarter of the Seahawks vs. Vikings pre-season game at CenturyLink Field, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Seattle free safety Earl Thomas (29) lines up before a play in the first quarter of the Seahawks vs. Vikings pre-season game at CenturyLink Field, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 89 Caption Close Seahawks prep for 'measuring stick' matchup vs Cowboys 1 / 89 Back to Gallery

RENTON -- Through two preseason games, the only thing we really know about the 2016 Seattle Seahawks is that they appear to enjoy playing in matchups that go down to the wire. But the team will attempt to unearth some more answers about themselves on Thursday, when Seattle hosts the Dallas Cowboys at CenturyLink Field (7 p.m. Pacific, televised on Q13 Fox).

The third preseason game is generally regarded as the "dress rehearsal" for the regular season, with starters playing well into the second half before resting in the fourth and final preseason matchup.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said the starters' increased playing time for both teams generally leads to increased intensity in the third exhibition matchup. The increased ones-versus-ones reps subsequently help when evaluating where the team stands just a few weeks before the regular season.

"Your first team on both sides of the ball and usually the opponent is going that far into the game, so it's got more of a feel of a regular-season type game, which will be a good measuring stick for us," Bevell said after practice on Tuesday.

Related: Grizzled vets add some drama to latest Seahawks roster projection

Bevell is happy with the Seahawks running game through their first two preseason games -- Seattle has rushed for 297 combined yards in its win over Kansas City and loss to Minnesota -- he'd like to see the offense finish more drives after scoring just four field goals and two touchdowns in 23 possessions.

"We need to make sure we're putting points on the board," Bevell said. "We've had some very nice drives, moved the ball, but we're not scoring points. So we've got to do a better job of handling that, making sure we finish some of those drives."

On defense, the Seahawks would like to cut down on giving up some of the big plays they've conceded in the first two preseason matchups, including seven pass plays of 20 or more yards and five runs of more than 10 yards. That should be slightly easier with Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant ruled out of Thursday's game after suffering a concussion in practice, though rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot is expected to make his preseason debut.

Defensive coordinator Kris Richard said he wasn't too concerned about giving up the big plays during the exhibition season as long as the Seahawks correct their mistakes before their Sept. 11 opener versus the Miami Dolphins.

"They explosive plays are uncharacteristic," Richard said on Wednesday. "It's good that they're happening now so we can go ahead and sharpen up on the things that we know we can do really well and obviously fix the things that we know we need to improve on."

Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.