Which Cowboys players stood out to you the most on Sunday night?
Entering Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas was at a severe disadvantage. Several of their starters were out and it was going to take a gutsy performance to win on the road against Pittsburgh. When the game began, it only got worse. By halftime, the Cowboys had lost Marshawn Kneeland and Tyler Guyton to injuries. Both teams played a close contest, with the Cowboys emerging victorious. It was a difficult test that the Cowboys passed and their defense that was woefully thin, grounding the Steelers offense to just 17 points. That said, the offense also did their fair share to overcome their mistakes and provide a spark when it was needed most. Dak Prescott’s last-minute throw to Jalen Tolbert gave the Cowboys the late lead and the win. Here are five stars from the Cowboys late, late-night win.
Jake Ferguson
Without Brandin Cooks available for some time, it is incumbent upon others to step up in his absence. Jake Ferguson had no problems with that. The former Pro Bowler is a gritty, tough receiver that will do all that it takes to get the job done. Several times when the offense backed themselves up with costly penalties, Ferguson made the catch over the middle to get the Cowboys’ offense back on track.
Pittsburgh set their sights on limiting CeeDee Lamb and did their best to take away the deep part of the field, forcing the Cowboys into methodical, long drives. Pittsburgh would call up blitzes to make Prescott throw the ball earlier than he intended and Ferguson would make himself a target for Prescott, winning off the line of scrimmage to make timely catches. In all, Ferguson had 70 yards on six receptions, including a critical first down on 3rd-and-9 on Dallas game-winning drive as he broke away from a tackle to pick up the needed yardage. Ferguson earned it the hard way.
Dak Prescott
Forget the turnovers for now, save that discourse for another day. Quarterbacks throughout the NFL are told to “find a way”. When your quarterback can walk into that hostile environment, missing many of his starters, and having to focus while the game is delayed an hour, and then will your team to a game-winning drive, it doesn’t matter what mistakes were made beforehand. Winning a game in the manner Prescott did with less-than-ideal help, speaks volumes to his leadership and character.
Think about all the big plays Prescott made when his team needed it. First, Prescott made an exceptional throw to CeeDee Lamb for a 27-yard gain where only Lamb could get it and credit to Lamb for making the difficult toe-tap catch. The degree of difficulty of that throw is something to marvel. Another example of Prescott’s tenacity was recovering Rico Dowdle’s fumble that could have lost the game if not for Prescott efforts. Finally, with all the chips on the table, and needing to make the throw in the clutch, Prescott stuck it right on Jalen Tolbert in the end zone. Again, you can be disappointed in the turnovers, but respect the resilience of Prescott to pull his, and his team’s rears out of the fire in the game’s most important moment.
Rico Dowdle
The Cowboys’ running game has been much-maligned this season as Dallas has been one of the league’s worst in that area. Heading into Sunday’s game in a matchup against Pittsburgh, many thought it would mean another disaster. However, the rushing on Sunday was good, not exactly spectacular, but vastly improved against a quality defensive front.
Some of the credit goes to Tyler Smith, who moved to left tackle following Tyler Guyton’s injury and T.J. Bass inserted at left guard. Dowdle took advantage of the creases the offensive line afforded to him and burst through holes. For the first time this season, he looked like the RB1 the team was expecting.
On Dallas’ go-ahead drive to begin the fourth quarter, Dowdle was integral on that series. He had eight carries for 36 hard-fought yards on “angry” runs and capped off the series with a diving 22-yard catch in the end zone. Dowdle’s major blemish was his fumble late in the game, but the totality of his impact cannot be understated.
Mike Zimmer & the defensive unit
There are too many contributions from individuals on defense to just name a few. The entire defense deserves a special mention, especially their coordinator Mike Zimmer. DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons are a terrific duo of edge rushers that could change games in an instant. Without them, you had to wonder where the pass rush would come from. Zimmer’s unit has had rumors of distrust between the players and coaches but against the Steelers, all eleven players played as a one to have a terrific performance.
Blanket coverage against George Pickens held him to a mere three catches for 26 yards and left Pickens so frustrated that he was flagged for a penalty the following the last play of the game for pulling Jourdan Lewis down by the facemask. How about Linval Joseph sacking Justin Fields after flattening Steelers offensive guard Isaac Semualo for a forced fumble that Dallas nearly recovered? Carl Lawson was also disruptive, getting pressure on Fields who clearly looked uncomfortable in the pocket against the Dallas pass rush. Once again DeMarvion Overshown was everywhere, seeking out the ball-carrier and stopping them in their tracks. He racked up eight tackles, seven of them the solo variety. Again, too many contributors to single out all of them. The entire defense can take a bow.
Jalen Tolbert
The adage of next man up was made for games like this with so many missing teammates. Jalen Tolbert answered the call. For the night, Tolbert led the team in receiving with team highs of seven receptions for 87 yards. Tolbert made several catches to keep the chains moving and had a big catch for a gain of 48.
Yet, all those pale in comparison to his game-winning catch. Clearly hobbled by a groin injury, Tolbert fought through the Steelers secondary to race to the front pylon of the end zone to make the contested grab with the defense draped all over him. The moment could serve as the beginning of breakthrough for Tolbert. With Cooks sidelined, Tolbert is the team’s #2 receiver. Games like Sunday will only bolster the offense’s confidence in him and hopefully it’s the precursor for good things to come.
