DeMarco Murray gets the best of the Seahawks’ top-ranked run defense

Dallas' DeMarco Murray ran for 115 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. (AP)

DeMarco Murray entered Sunday’s game as the NFL’s best running back, rushing for more than 600 yards through five games.

The Seahawks entered with the NFL’s stingiest run defense, allowing 62 yards a game.

I figured it would go back and forth with Murray and the Seahawks’ defense sharing good moments, a terrific run offset by a stop in the backfield, that kind of thing all afternoon long. But Murray got the best of that key matchup, rushing for 115 yards on 29 carries and scoring the game-winner on a 15-yard dash with 3:16 to go in Dallas’ 30-23 victory pver Seattle.

Murray became the first running back since Jim Brown in 1958 to start the season with six consecutive 100-yard games on the ground. He also led the Cowboys with six receptions, but Dallas benefited the most from Murray’s bursts from the line of scrimmage. The consistent running threat also helped the Cowboys convert eight of their first 10 third-down situations.

Michael Bennett and O’Brien Schofield were surprised that Murray was so effective. They’d been game-planning for him all week.

“We didn’t tackle well,” Bennett said. “They were gap running. We were stopping them up front, but he’d cut back and find the open lane. Every back is good in the league, but Murray’s one of the better ones.”

Added Schofield: “We weren’t tackling and wrapping up, and we was able to pick up extra yards.”

Joseph Randle also surprised the Seahawks with a 38-yard run on Dallas’ second drive, but it was mostly Murray who kept grinding away at Seattle’s front seven.

“DeMarco’s really good,” said coach Pete Carroll. “We had him back there, but he’s got a really cool style with breaking tackles. We didn’t do as well as we hoped we would.

“I’m not happy. When someone runs the ball as well as he did, we’ve got to play better.”

The Seahawks held Murray in check in the first series and he was mostly limited in the second, but he carried the ball six times and caught a pass in Dallas’ third drive. You no doubt remember that one – the Cowboys ran 15 plays and used up the first 9:45 of the second quarter, finally tying the score 10-10 on Dan Bailey’s 42-yard field goal.

Then with the Seahawks leading 23-20 in the fourth quarter, Murray shook loose for 25 yards, followed by a rugged 6-yard run and capping his big day on the next play with a 15-yard touchdown run.

“We just stuck with it,” said Dallas tight end Jason Witten. “Those 2-, 3-yard runs can turn into big ones. DeMarco has run hard. He has shown his maturity as a back, sticking with us and sticking with it and coming out on the back end on a couple of those late in the game.”

Murray was explosive and evasive, yet Cliff Avril begrudgingly praised him. Asked if Murray was the best back the Seahawks had faced, Avril said: “I don’t know, we faced (Green Bay’s) Eddie Lacy. It depends on what you’re referencing. If it’s most yards, then probably.”

Murray now has 785 yards through six games and is on a pace for 2,093 yards and 424 carries. Only seven running backs have ever gone over 2,000, and the record of 2,105 is held by Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.

If the Seahawks face him again, it will be in the playoffs. For now, they’re more concerned with shoring up the run defense in time for next week’s game in St. Louis. Last year in a 14-9 win over the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, Seattle allowed St. Louis’ Zac Stacy to rushed for 134 yards.

“We’ve got to clean some things up,” Schofield said. “We can’t let this game happen twice.”

The Go 2 Guy also writes for SeattlePI.com and KitsapSun.com. You can reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.