The Cowboys went to Pittsburgh and stole a game they probably had no business winning. On the road, dealing with weather, and severely hampered by injuries at multiple key positions, Dallas seemed hamstrung from the start. But a suddenly-revived rushing attack and a defense that overcame its personnel issues combined to stage a thrilling win that should boost the Cowboys’ morale going into a tough intraconference showdown next week and offer optimism for the tough stretch of opponents to come after the bye.
Much of what’s been wrong, though, remains wrong. Penalties continue to be an Achilles heel. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s three turnovers on the night cannot be overlooked just because he saved the game with a fumble recovery and threw a game-winning pass. The injuries appear to be mounting. The offense still short-circuits once they hit the red zone. And questionable in-game management is only making it harder to sustain momentum in critical situations.
Those concerns, while real, are much easier to put in proper perspective, however, the day after a win. Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly to come out of Sunday night/Monday morning’s 20-17 win over the Steelers.
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Good: Piecemealed Dallas D rises to occasion
Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) reacts to sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (not pictured) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The questions surrounding the Cowboys defense coming in were numerous, obvious, and well-deserved. Already down its two best playmakers, Dallas lost defensive end Marshawn Kneeland just four minutes into the contest. (More on that later.) But the rest of Mike Zimmer’s crew wasted no time in stepping up in a big way, completely containing Justin Fields and the Steelers offense. Heading into halftime, the piecemealed Cowboys D had surrendered just 89 net yards and only three points. They held Pittsburgh to 1-of-7 on third downs, allowed a single play of over 10 yards, and forced almost as many punts (three) as passes Fields had completed (four). The Steelers were able to make adjustments that proved effective in the second half, but the dominance showed by the Cowboys defense in the first 30 minutes was key to keeping things close, unlike what happened against New Orleans and Baltimore.
Bad: Challenges continue to be a challenge
For an organization that prides itself on its forward-thinking coaching staff and cutting-edge use of analytics, the Cowboys seem to have a real challenge with… challenges. And they screwed up twice- on both ends of the spectrum- in the span of under two minutes Sunday. On the offense’s second possession, a Dak Prescott completion to Jalen Brooks looked to be extremely close to the line to gain. Replays showed Brooks probably had enough to have moved the chains. But instead of asking for a review of the spot, the Cowboys rushed to the line, ran a hurried play that ended in an intentional grounding call, and had to punt. Four snaps into Pittsburgh’s subsequent drive, a Fields fumble offered a brief tantalizing moment of hope, but the quarterback came away from the pile with the ball. McCarthy inexplicably demanded a challenge, which the entire free world knew without a doubt he would lose. It was not a good look for a head coach who is criticized frequently for poor in-game management decisions. Had Dallas not gone on to steal the win, these two plays would be a much larger talking point this week, and the temperature under McCarthy’s seat would have climbed a few noticeable degrees.
Ugly: Dak’s trio of turnovers
The Jeopardy! answer to come out of the game was that Prescott became the first player in league history to throw two interceptions in the same game but on different days. But the reality of the QB’s ugly trio of turnovers should be of no trivial matter to Cowboys fans. First, he fumbled in the red zone after holding onto the ball far too long with T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig closing in fast. That miscue cost Dallas the chance to go up 10-3 early. Then came another red-zone giveaway, this one on a poorly-thrown ball into the end zone when points were all but guaranteed and a touchdown seemed inevitable. That awful throw had CeeDee Lamb reminding his quarterback to put the ball up in the air. Prescott did exactly that later in the fourth quarter (and technically, Monday morning by that point), heaving an ill-advised bomb nearly 50 yards downfield to a double-covered Jalen Tolbert. That interception kick-started the Steelers’ go-ahead touchdown drive. Thankfully, Prescott’s heads-up recovery of Rico Dowdle’s fumble in the final minute was instrumental in winning the game, but Prescott often looked like he was trying to do too much to personally pilot a banged-up offense against a fierce opponent on the road… and it almost cost the team dearly.
Good: Run game finds spark with Rico
Dallas’s rushing attack had been stuck in neutral through four games this season, but Rico Dowdle finally got himself in gear Sunday night. His 20 carries and 87 yards on the ground were both career highs for the 26-year-old, and he was given the rock for what was designed to be the game-winning carry (and nearly was, if not for that one-in-a-million dive from Steelers LB Elandon Roberts). What’s more, Dowdle may have finally cemented his place as the clear-cut lead back for the Cowboys, more than tripling Ezekiel Elliott’s rushing attempts on the night. Fullback Hunter Luepke had just two totes, Deuce Vaughn was on the inactive list, and Dalvin Cook remains on the practice squad; Cook will ostensibly be elevated at some point, but a pecking order seems to be establishing itself among the Cowboys’ running back committee. Based on a strong Week 5 in which he also added two catches and a very important receiving touchdown, expect Dowdle to shoulder the biggest part of the load out of the backfield moving forward.
Bad: Repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot
The Cowboys continue to show themselves to be a very undisciplined football team under McCarthy. Eleven more penalties Sunday night cost them 87 yards- nearly an entire length of the field- in a game they won by the narrowest of margins. The offense racked up four false start penalties and there were two unnecessary roughness calls, plus they were flagged for intentional grounding and roughing the passer. Several of those eight miscues awarded Pittsburgh a fresh set of downs. Every single one was an avoidable penalty caused by: pre-snap inattention, mid-play overaggressiveness, or situational unawareness. McCarthy harps on this issue over and over, but nothing ever seems to come of it; the Cowboys are trending to be one of the most penalized teams in the league yet again.
Ugly: Depth at key positions
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 06: Marshawn Kneeland #94 of the Dallas Cowboys is on the field with an injury during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on October 06, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Cowboys were already perilously thin at a few key positions. Sunday night’s win only made matters worse. Kneeland, already getting the start thanks to injuries to Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, lasted just four defensive snaps until he was carted off with a knee injury that looks to be significant. Fellow rookie Tyler Guyton went down with his own knee issue a quarter later and caused a multi-player shuffle along the left side of the offensive line. On the right side, perennial All-Pro guard Zack Martin missed time, too, though he was able to return after being treated for cramps. As a result of the team’s current rash of injuries, depth pieces like Chauncey Golston, Tyrus Wheat, Brock Hoffman, and T.J. Bass all hit season highs for snap counts. How long they may have to continue to serve as the “next man up” remains to be seen… and could be a big factor in how the Cowboys weather the next stretch of games, even after the bye.
