Forces both mystical (Mother Nature, the injury bug) and man-made (turnovers, red-zone woes) were seemingly working against the Dallas Cowboys in their Sunday night showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the end, though, the Cowboys were able to overcome the dark clouds and put together a come-from-behind 20-17 victory over the Steelers in this physical clash between storied franchises.
But first, can it get any worse for the Cowboys at defensive end? They lose Sam Williams for the season during training camp, both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are sidelined multiple weeks after being injured in the team's previous game, and then on the Steelers' very first possession of this one, rookie Marshawn Kneeland is carted to the locker room with a knee injury. Put out the Help Wanted sign.
If that wasn't enough, injuries then plagued the Cowboys offensive line. On their first drive of the second quarter, rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton came up hobbling with a knee injury as well and was lost for the game. That forced Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith to bounce out to left tackle with backup T.J. Bass coming in to play left guard.
Then in the fourth quarter, perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin provided a scare when he left the game with cramps, forcing backup Brock Hoffman to come in and fill that void. Thankfully, Martin returned for the Cowboys' next offensive series.
Perhaps it was no surprise then that quarterback Dak Prescott was under pressure for most of the game, leading to an up-and-down night. He largely moved his team at will between the 20-yard lines in the first half, but couldn't get the ball in the end zone.
That changed late in the game when he orchestrated a pair of scoring drives, including the game-winner in the final seconds of play. Overall, Prescott completed 29 of 42 passes for 352 yards with two touchdowns. He also had three turnovers, a fumble and two picks, but overcame those obstacles to pull out the victory.
His primary target on the night was wideout Jalen Tolbert, who stepped up in the absence of veteran Brandin Cooks. Tolbert had seven catches for 87 yards, both personal bests, and hauled in the deciding score.
However, it was really a coming-out party for running back Rico Dowdle. He made an impact on the ground, rushing 20 times for 87 yards, both career highs as well, for a 4.4 yards per carry average. But he also hauled in two passes for 27 yards and his second receiving touchdown of the year.
On the other side of the ball, despite all the injuries, the Dallas defense got the job done. Steelers quarterback Justin Fields threw for only 131 yards and the Pittsburgh running attack was kept under the century mark.
First Quarter
Play got underway with KaVontae Turpin returning the opening kickoff 38 yards, and with an illegal formation penalty called on Pittsburgh, Dallas was set up for its first possession at its own 43-yard line. And although the offense marched into enemy territory, the drive stalled at the Steelers' 36-yard line. No worries, Brandon Aubrey split the uprights from 55 yards out to give the Cowboys an early lead.
While Dallas needed six plays to get its three points, Pittsburgh came back and tied things up with an 11-play drive. But the Cowboys kept their opponent out of the red zone, so the Steelers settled for a 41-yard field goal.
Just before the end of the first frame, the Dallas offense was knocking on the door, having marched down to Pittsburgh's 11-yard line. But on third-and-6, Prescott couldn't find an open receiver before the Steelers' T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig strip-sacked the Cowboys quarterback. Once Herbig then fell on the fumble, the Dallas threat was done.
Second Quarter
After the Cowboys defense forced a three-and-out, the offense went right back to work. Helped by a 27-yard pass to tight end Jake Ferguson, which featured some outstanding down-field blocking from CeeDee Lamb, Dallas reached the Pittsburgh 15-yard line. But again, the offense couldn't get across the goal line, so Aubrey provided three more points with a 33-yard field goal.
Despite reshuffling their offensive line after the Guyton injury, Prescott kept his troops in form. Another big pass, this time a 48-yarder to Tolbert down the left sideline, helped pushed the Cowboys deep into the red zone once again. But in a case of déjà vu, a turnover negated any thought of scoring a touchdown. This time Prescott attempted a pass to Lamb on the right side of the end zone, but the two weren't on the same page, which left an easy interception for Pittsburgh cornerback Donte Jackson.
So despite the Cowboys outgaining the Steelers 202 yards to 89 in the first two quarters, Dallas went into the break with only a 6-3 lead.
Third Quarter
Those Cowboys mistakes in the first half were quickly taken advantage of by the Steelers as the second half got underway. The home team took the third-quarter kickoff and promptly went 72 yards in six plays to the end zone. After a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty handed Pittsburgh 15 yards, Fields then hit tight end Pat Freiermuth for 19 yards with a pair of passes to receiver Van Jefferson adding 18 more. But tight end Connor Heyward scored the game's first touchdown on a 16-yard reception, giving the Steelers the lead, 10-6.
For the Cowboys offense, though, it was more of the same – drive across midfield only to come away with no points. This time, they made it to the 20-yard line, but when Aubrey tried a 38-yard field goal, his attempt was blocked.
Fourth Quarter
Prescott and company were again on the move when the clock ticked over into the final frame, and finally – finally! – they put a touchdown on the board. Dowdle actually did the heavy lifting in the 16-play, 90-yard drive, as he ran the ball eight times for 36 yards. But it was his 22-yard catch in the end zone that provided the score and gave the Cowboys a 13-10 advantage.
But just when Dallas had the opportunity to really take command, another self-inflicted wound put the game in jeopardy. On first-and-10 at his own 27-yard line, Prescott tried to connect with Tolbert deep down the seam. Instead, he overthrew his mark, allowing cornerback Joey Porter to come down with the interception.
Now with the ball at their own 37-yard line, Pittsburgh used the gift to travel the 63 needed yards for a touchdown. Freiermuth completed the series by corralling a shuttle pass and rumbling the final 6 yards across the goal line to jump Pittsburgh back on top, 17-13.
With just under five minutes left in the game, though, the Cowboys still had plenty of time. And they stayed balanced on offense, using a mix of Dowdle runs and Prescott passes to reach the Pittsburgh 32-yard line where they faced a third-and-9.
That's when Prescott connected with Ferguson on a 10-yard completion, and then on the next snap, the quarterback dumped off a screen pass to Hunter Luepke, the fullback barreling for an 18-yard gain down to the 4-yard line. First-and-goal with 52 seconds left.
It took all four downs, but they got in. Whew.
The game was nearly lost when Dowdle had the ball knocked loose when trying to dive over the pile on second down. Fortunately, Prescott landed on the fumble to keep hope alive.
And then the quarterback put the game away with 26 seconds remaining when on fourth down he found Tolbert in the end zone for the winning score, 20-17.
