SEATTLE — It was a matchup any football fan would love to see.
The self-proclaimed best corner in the game defended one of the most explosive wide receivers Sunday.
But the Seattle Seahawks hoped to never have Richard Sherman cover Dallas deep threat Dez Bryant.
That matchup only materialized after Seattle corner Byron Maxwell suffered an ankle injury with five minutes left in the first half. To that point, Maxwell had only allowed Bryant one catch in four passes thrown his way.
Against Sherman, Bryant was thrown to six times, catching three passes for 52 yards.
Sherman kept his comments brief after Sunday’s game and did not address the matchup against Bryant.
“We treat every game the same whether it’s a win or loss,” Sherman said. “Next week is another championship opportunity.”
A possible Sherman-Bryant matchup had a subplot. The Cowboys were reportedly not going to shy away from passing toward the Pro Bowler.
“The word from Cowboys coaches to their players: That Richard Sherman is overrated, that the rest of the secondary props him up and makes him play better than he actually is.” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.
Bryant wasn’t one to stoke any fires with Sherman, though.
“I had to bring my A game today,” he said. “I made some plays, he made some plays, but at the end of the game, we got the W.”
Clark County fans frustrated
The first quarter was a back-and-forth barnburner that included 17 points and a blocked punt.
Too bad most Clark County TV viewers didn’t see it.
Fox opted to carry the overtime of Carolina vs. Cincinnati for its national audience. While the Seattle market saw the Seahawks from the start, Clark County is considered part of the Portland market.
That meant Fox didn’t switch to the Seahawks until 10 minutes remained in the second quarter.
KPTV Channel 12, the Portland Fox affiliate, told The Columbian it was powerless in the decision and would file a complaint after receiving hundreds of emails and calls Sunday afternoon from irate fans.
Quick kicks
• The Union High School dance team was among eight that participated in Sunday’s halftime show. The theme centered around strength in the fight against breast cancer.
• Stephen Schilling made his first NFL start Sunday as center Max Unger continues to recover from a foot injury suffered last week against Washington.
• Seattle forced two turnovers Sunday after having forced just three all season. With five through five games, it’s still behind the pace of last year, when Seattle forced 39 turnovers in the regular season.
• Russell Okung’s penalty woes continue. The left tackle had a false start and a holding penalty Sunday, giving him five it the past two games. At seven infractions this season, he’s among the NFL’s most-penalized offensive players.
• Dan Bailey’s 56-yard field goal in the third quarter tied the longest ever at CenturyLink Field. The longest Seahawks field goal at the venue was Josh Brown’s 55-yarder against the Cowboys in 2005.
