Here are five thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks, with the help of the All-22 film and ESPN Stats & Information.

1. Russell Wilson deserves credit for making enough plays to get the offense in field-goal range on the final game-winning drive against the Cowboys. But the truth is, this was probably his most uneven performance of the season. The offensive game plan was sound, but the Seahawks only scored one touchdown on nine possessions and left plays on the field all game. Wilson threw behind Jimmy Graham on an over route early on. Later, he executed a beautiful play fake and had Graham wide open but was late with his throw, which hung in the air and was incomplete. After the game, Wilson talked about missed opportunities to wide receiver Doug Baldwin, and those showed up on film. He had Baldwin wide open down the sideline in the second, but missed badly while throwing on the run. And on the final drive, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell dialed up a concept that got Baldwin open in the end zone, but Wilson took off and scrambled. Protection was good for most of the game, and maybe that's something Wilson wasn't expecting, given how the first half of the season has gone. Overall, his numbers are excellent (68.8 percent completions, 8.03 YPA). But Wilson missed several opportunities against Dallas in a game which the Seahawks easily could have won by two touchdowns.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson could have had a better day against the Cowboys. AP Photo/Brandon Wade

2. Pete Carroll and Bevell have been pretty clear that their preference is to use less-zone read and more under-center runs. But in this game, the shotgun runs were what worked. Marshawn Lynch carried eight times for 38 yards (4.75 yards per carry) with Wilson in shotgun. When Wilson was under center, he ran 13 times for 33 yards (2.54 yards per carry).

"It was just a little hit-and-miss," Carroll said. "It wasn’t as consistent as we would like, but we ran the ball right at them. I thought it was OK. We just didn’t get as many yards as maybe we normally do. Some schemes worked better than others. By the time we zeroed in on them, and we zeroed in on working with Russell, too, and Marshawn, we felt like we had better control of it later in the game. Sometimes it takes us a while to get that done."

Lynch is averaging 3.64 yards per carry this season, which ranks 40th out of 50 qualifying players, per ESPN Stats & Information.

3. The two individual performances that stood out on defense were by Richard Sherman and K.J. Wright. Dez Bryant indicated that Matt Cassel's performance had more to do with his numbers (two catches for 12 yards) than Sherman. There was one play in the third quarter where Bryant had a step on Sherman, but Cassel was hit and underthrew him. Overall, though, Sherman did a fantastic job shadowing Bryant and making plays on the ball. He broke up a slant early and then a comeback route in the second. Sherman played the go route beautifully in the third and tackled Bryant behind the line of scrimmage on a screen. It will be interesting to see if he matches up against Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Brown in the coming weeks. As for Wright, he was just a play-destroyer, finishing with nine tackles. He did a great job staying disciplined and finishing in the run game. Wright limited yards-after-catch on several occasions after short completions. He's playing at a high level.

4. The use of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) really worked for the Seahawks in the passing game. Wilson was 6-for-9 (66.7 percent) for 82 yards (9.11 yards per attempt) out of 12 personnel. In the first seven games, he was 14-for-29 (48.3 percent) for 131 yards (4.52 yards per attempt) out of that grouping. Graham and Luke Willson combined for nine catches, 116 yards and a touchdown. Danny Kelly of Field Gulls did a great job of showing how the Seahawks used run-action and worked the middle of the field. The Seahawks' use of two tight-end sets is something to keep an eye on in the second half of the season.

5. Leftovers: As Carroll pointed out, guards Justin Britt and J.R. Sweezy probably had their best games of the season. ...Wilson got the ball out quicker than he normally does (2.70 seconds before pass), but he still held it the third-longest of any QB in Week 8. ... An underrated play came on third-and-2 in the fourth when Wright and Michael Bennett stuffed Darren McFadden to give the Seahawks' offense the ball back for the game-winning drive. ...The Seahawks did a good job with their "pick" or "rub" routes to get receivers free on the final drive. ...Cassel attempted three passes that traveled 10-plus yards from the line of scrimmage, and they were all incomplete. ...The Seahawks' offense is averaging 17.38 points per game, which ranks 28th in the NFL.