Cowboys and Seahawks Meet in Preseason Opener Under the Lights

The Cowboys head to Seattle for a Friday night preseason curtain-raiser, and while the starters will barely break a sweat, there's still plenty to watch. Dallas is installing Mike Zimmer's defense after a disappointing 2025, and early August is when you see if the new scheme translates from whiteboard to field. Expect the first-teamers to get maybe a quarter before the depth chart battle takes over—this is evaluation season, not statement season.

Seattle's in a similar spot, rotating bodies and testing combinations. The Seahawks have continuity on their side, but preseason Week 1 is always a crapshoot when it comes to effort and execution. Coaches are scripting drives, not gameplanning to win. That makes handicapping these games an exercise in reading motivation and roster bubble desperation more than actual football quality.

DarkHorse hasn't weighed in with a pick yet, so we're flying blind on the sharper angles here. If you're betting this one, focus on totals rather than sides—preseason unders have historically been the sharper play once the vanilla play-calling sets in. Otherwise, just enjoy watching the rookies scrap for roster spots and hope nobody important gets hurt. It's August football, folks. Temper expectations accordingly.