The Cowboys managed to get back to .500 with a win over the Giants last Thursday, improving to 2-0 on the road. But to make it three straight away from home, the Cowboys must overtake a tough Steelers team that enters the game 3-1. Pittsburgh won't be happy coming off its first loss of the season and welcome a Cowboys team making its first trip to Pittsburgh since 2016 – the rookie year of both Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.
Here are the 10 big storylines for the week, with five for the Steelers and five for the Cowboys.
Steelers:
- Setback in Indy – The Steelers were rolling to a 3-0 start behind Justin Fields at quarterback and a hard-nosed stingy defense that has been a staple in Pittsburgh. But last week in Indianapolis, the Steelers fell behind early to the Colts, who had to turn to backup Joe Flacco. Pittsburgh made a rally in the second half, but still dropped a 27-24 defeat, preventing them from joining the Chiefs and Vikings as the only 4-0 teams in the NFL.
- Fields & Russ – The Steelers made a pair of big changes at quarterback in the offseason, bringing in both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. And as we get ready for Week 5 in Dallas, there might be a tough decision for head coach Mike Tomlin to make at quarterback. Wilson is nearing full strength after a calf injury that put Fields into the lineup as a starter. Fields had the Steelers at 3-0 before Sunday's loss to the Colts. In that game, Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for another but also had a costly fumble. It might be a decision Tomlin makes closer to the end of the week, depending on Wilson's health.
- 100 Watts? – The next time T.J. Watt brings down a quarterback – even if he needs some help – it will hit the century mark for his career. Watt is sitting at 99.5 career sacks, which includes three this year. He's led the league in sacks three different times in his career, including last season when he had 19.0 sacks.
- Guard up – Guard down – The Steelers are once again going to be missing one of their starting guards, although it won't be the same situation as the previous weeks. Just when starting guard Isaac Seumalo is returning from injury at left guard for this game, the Steelers now will lose right guard James Daniels, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the last game against the Colts.
- Storied History – The only Super Bowl matchup that we've seen three separate times is between the Cowboys and Steelers. Although it has been nearly 30 years since the last postseason matchup, the Cowboys and Steelers have their own kind of rivalry that dates back to the 1960s. The Steelers is not only the Cowboys' first-ever opponent back in 1960, but also the team's first-ever victory, which didn't occur until Week 1 of 1961. Overall, the Cowboys lead the series 17-16, despite a 1-2 record in the Super Bowls.
Cowboys:
- Double-Edge Loss - What's worse than losing your best pass-rusher? How about losing your two best, and if you add an injury back in the preseason, it would mean three top pass-rushers the Cowboys were counting on, are all out, at least for this game. Micah Parsons is "week to week" with a high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss this game. DeMarcus Lawrence could be out anywhere from 4-8 weeks with a foot sprain and that's on top of Sam Williams on IR for the season with a torn ACL, MCL back in camp.
- The Replacements? - The Cowboys will turn mostly to in-house defenders to carry the load, with the likes of Carl Lawson, Tyrus Wheat and Chauncey Golston at the end position. The team did sign K.J. Henry off the Bengals' practice squad on Tuesday. Perhaps the interior of the D-line can help bolster the entire line, considering Mazi Smith is coming off his best game last week, combined with Osa Odighizuwa and Linval Joseph in the middle. They'll be tested again with a physical Steelers running attack, that could include Fields, if he indeed gets another start.
- Nowhere to Run? - As for the Cowboys' own running attack, it ranks dead-last in the NFL, averaging under 74 yards per game. The team only has a combined three rushes of 10 yards or more, and CeeDee Lamb has two of them. The committee of Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn and fullback Hunter Luepke, has yet to provide much of a spark for the offense. Despite that, team owner/GM Jerry Jones said on Tuesday he doesn't expect veteran Dalvin Cook to be called up from the practice squad for this game.
- From the Start - With a running game that is struggling to find consistency, quarterback Dak Prescott and his right arm have been forced to carry the load. But while we've seen them find their groove throughout the game, slow starts have been a problem for the Cowboys, who have been outscored 34-20 in the first quarter this year. In comparison, the Cowboys outscored their opponents 129-56 in the 17 games played last year.
- Watt's Next - We all knew rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton would have his "Welcome to the NFL" moments early on, and it's safe to say that has happened. If it wasn't facing Cleveland's Myles Garrett in Week 1, Guyton had his hands full with the Giants' pass rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. Well, it doesn't get any easier this week with T.J. Watt screaming off the edge. How Guyton handles that and what kind of help the Cowboys provide him will be a big factor in the game.
