America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, were shorthanded after being severely bitten by the injury bug coming into their Week 5 “Sunday Night Football” showdown without No. 2 wide receiver Brandin Cooks (knee infection), three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain) and four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence (Lisfranc, mid-foot sprain).
Once the game finally got underway an hour-and-a-half late due to lightning in the area and a torrential downpour, Dallas lost 2024 second-round pick edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland (knee), who left the game on a cart and 2024 first-round pick left tackle Tyler Guyton (knee). Nine-time Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin left the game with cramps early in the fourth quarter. At one point, the Cowboys offensive line left to right was Tyler Smith (left tackle), T.J. Bass (left guard), Cooper Beebe (center), Brock Hoffman (right guard) and Terence Steele (right tackle). Martin did return to the game with just under five minutes remaining on the clock. Even with all that turmoil, the Cowboys got out of town with a win, 20-17, to improve to 3-2 on the season and provide head coach Mike McCarthy an unforgettable homecoming. The 3-2 Steelers have now dropped back-to-back games after their perfect 3-0 start. To matters worse, they are facing questions at the quarterback position.
The depleted Cowboys somehow were able to overcame putting just a field goal on the board on their first four red zone trips after three of those stops coming inside the 20 ended in a strip-sack of quarterback Dak Prescott, an interception on a miscommunication with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and a blocked field goal. However, Prescott refused to throw in the towel. He threw for 352 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 29 of 42 passing while losing a fumble. Sunday night was his first game with three turnovers since the Cowboys’ 42-10 “Sunday Night Football” massacre against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 last season.
Prescott came through when it mattered most. Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle, who has been under scrutiny, attempted to leap over the pile from the one-yard line for the go-ahead score, but Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts jarred the football loose with a massive hit stick of the running back after he went airborne. Following a third and goal incompletion from the four, Dallas was out of timeouts with 26 seconds left with the game hanging in the balance. Prescott stood tall and poised in the pocket on fourth-and-goal and delivered a dart to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert for the 4-yard, game-winning score. That only gave the Steelers 20 seconds to go the length of the field, and they were out of timeouts. Prescott proved why he is worth his four-year, $240 million contract extension Sunday night and into Monday morning.
“We talk about it, staying neutral, being resilient, understanding there’s going to be ups and downs, ebbs and flows,” Prescott said. “We just know who we are. (If) we just stay with it, we can come out with a win. This was a great example.”
Embed from Getty ImagesDallas actually outgained Pittsburgh by 223 yards (445 to 222), but the constant coming up short in the red zone early hampered their ability to create separation. Steelers All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt combined with edge rusher Nick Herbig to strip-sack Prescott, which gave Watt his 100th career sack. That made him the second-fastest to 100 career sacks (109 games), trailing only Hall of Famer Reggie White, the ‘Minister of Defense’ (96 games). He finished with 1.5 sacks and eight tackles.
Dallas took their first lead since 3-0 with 13:51 left in the game after Prescott rolled out to his right and connected with Dowdle on a 22-yard touchdown reception. The running back lined up in the slot and executed the scramble drill with the quarterback beautifully before making the diving snag. That hookup capped a methodical 16-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, which is something you do not see in today’s NFL. Dowdle got the opportunity to show what he could do, running for a career-high 87 rushing yards on 20 carries in addition to 27 yards receiving and the touchdowns on two catches.
Steelers quarterback Justin Fields needed his bell rung in order to concentrate and get locked in and throw his touchdown pass. He got torched on an incomplete pass on the first play of the second half, a play in which Cowboys defensive end Tyrus Wheat was called for roughing the passer, which is a costly 15-yard penalty, after the hard physical blow he put on the Steelers signal caller. Backup journeyman quarterback Kyle Allen came off the bench and then threw Pittsburgh’s longest completion of the night, a 19-yarder to tight end Pat Freiermuth. Four plays after Fields re-entered the game on the same drive, he threw the first touchdown of the contest, for either team, on a 16-yard passing score to tight end Connor Hayward. That allowed the Steelers to take their first lead of the night with 11:50 to go in the third quarter.
Fields’ second touchdown pass came on a six-yard sweet shovel pass to Freiermuth that put the Steelers up by four, 17-13, with 4:56 to play. Fields did not exactly light the world on fire, finishing with 127 passing yards and two touchdowns on 15 of 27 passing. He also added 27 rushing yards on 14 carries. Sunday was his first game with multiple passing touchdowns since Week 5 of the 2023 campaign against the Washington Commanders when he was with the Chicago Bears.
“I think the reoccurring thing is just shooting ourselves in the foot,” Steelers quarterback Fields said. “Penalties, false starts, it’s just coming down to execution.”
Prescott got some much-needed help from his ground game thanks to Dowdle and his offensive line. Dallas also showed they could consistently move the football through the air, so when the turnovers stopped occurring in the second half, the points started flowing.
“We have a play call that we love, we’re very confident in, regardless of the defense,” Prescott said. “Offensive line did a great job, Tolbert came open to the left, just had to make the throw.”
The Steelers completely lacked offensive creativity and rhythm despite facing an undermanned Dallas defense. Five of their 10 drives ended in punts, and two others were in the closing moments of the first half plus a last-second lateral fest that went nowhere fact, following the Cowboys’ go-ahead score. It all came down to this. Fields simply could not beat the Cowboys defense with his arm frequently enough to take advantage of all the plays his defense made.
Dallas returns to the friendly confines of ‘Jerry’s World’ to face a rested and healthy 3-1 Detroit Lions who spent Week 5 on their bye. Dan Campbell’s group will be hungry for revenge after a controversial 20-19 Cowboys win in Week 17 last season.
The Steelers will pack their bags and hit the road to square off against a struggling 2-3 Las Vegas Raiders squad buried in drama surrounding their quarterback position and All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams.
