Dallas Cowboys @ Pittsburgh Steelers Quick Game Preview
We preview the 7-1 Dallas Cowboys upcoming road trip to Heinz Field this weekend for their Week 10 tilt with the 4-4 Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dallas Cowboys are on the road again when they travel to Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second of three consecutive games against the AFC North. The Cowboys beat the now 0-9 Cleveland Browns last Sunday to improve to 7-1. While the Steelers look to snap a three-game losing streak, extended last week by a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
As is the norm for these two teams, the talk of game will be the quarterbacks. But for different reasons than you’d expect.
For the Cowboys, the talk has been and will continue to be whether or not this is Tony Romo’s team, or whether to keep riding the hot hand with Dak Prescott. It’s expected that Prescott will hold on to the reins for this game, despite Romo being a full participant in practice this week.
On the other sideline, Ben Roethlisberger has been his usual dominant self this season, until an injury cost him a game and a half. In his first game back against the Ravens, he played like a man who’s knee was bothering him. Big Ben is arguably the toughest quarterback in the league and there’s no chance he misses a challenge like he’s sure to face against the 7-1 Cowboys. Expect him look better than he did in Week Nine, but not to be his usual self.
Not to be overshadowed by the passing game, these two teams boast two of the best young running backs the NFL has to offer. Suiting up for the Cowboys is rookie star Ezekiel Elliott, who could possibly hit 1,000 yards on the season with a good game in Pittsburgh. That feat would make him only the third rookie running back in NFL history to hit that mark in just nine career games joining the elite company of Eric Dickerson and Adrian Peterson.
Leading the backfield for the Steelers is Le’Veon Bell, who despite a couple of rough games, is still one of the most talented runners in the NFL. The Cowboys and their top 5 run defense will look to continue his streak of bad games, but he won’t be the only skill player they need to look to slow down.
Antonio Brown is really good. That doesn’t get said enough, he’s not only the best receiver in football, he is probably the best player in football. The Cowboys need to hope that not having a 100% healthy quarterback slows him down. Brown has been slowed down by spotty quarterback play this season; hopefully the Cowboys pass-rush can make Roethlisberger uncomfortable enough to slow down their talented receiver.
Speaking of the Cowboys defense, they’re coming off probably their best game of the season, albeit against the Cleveland Browns. Third round pick Maliek Collins played his best game of the season, coming away with the first two sacks of his young career. If he can develop into decent pass-rusher on a team that doesn’t have many, this defense could be trouble for the remaining 8 opponents on the schedule.
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This team is riding a 7-game winning streak into Pittsburgh, but the Steelers are hungry for a win in a division where no team has a winning record. The Cowboys defense has stood tough this season, but hasn’t faced an offense with this kind of firepower. This is a game the team should win, but far from a lock. Losing this game will cause tons of overreactions, and they shouldn’t. Expect the Cowboys to win, but don’t be surprised if they don’t. Regardless of the result, enjoy this team where they are.