3 winners (and 2 losers) for Cowboys in thrilling win over the Steelers

The Dallas Cowboys won their second straight game beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-17 on Sunday night. After more than an hour and a half delay due to weather, this game was worth the long wait. Despite the bad weather and a mountain of injuries, Dallas overcame it all to take possession of second place in the NFC East behind the Commanders.

The game saw plenty of ups and downs for the Cowboys as the offense only managed six points by halftime. Thankfully the defense kept them within striking distance even without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. In a game that saw the offense wake up more in the second half, there were plenty of winners after a finish like that. However, some players walked off the field looking more like losers.

3 winners from the win over the Steelers

3. RB Rico Dowdle

After four consecutive games of a running game that looked almost non-existent, the Cowboys ground attack finally came through. Dallas accumulated 109 total rushing yards, but the real winner was Rico Dowdle. He finished with 20 carries for 87 rushing yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Dowdle also caught a key touchdown pass to give the Cowboys the lead back at the start of the fourth quarter.

Dowdle had been getting more carries the last few games over Ezekiel Elliott, but Sunday night was the breakout game everyone has been waiting for. Fans who have been screaming for this team to activate Dalvin Cook might want to put those feelings on hold for at least one more week.

What helped Dowdle be successful, as well as the run game overall, was Mike McCarthy changing the type of run plays they were calling. Instead of running a lot of zone reads, the team ran the ball with the quarterback taking more snaps from the center like most have seen over the past several years when the run game helped this team win on a regular basis.

If Dowdle does not fumble at the one-yard line with the game on the line, one could argue he played a perfect game. This offense needs to have someone separate themselves from the pack as the main guy. Right now the edge goes to Dowdle.

2. Jalen Tolbert

With Brandin Cooks out for at least the next three games, the Cowboys need Jalen Tolbert to step up now more than ever. Most have hoped Tolbert would take that next step in 2024, but through the first four games he had not helped take pressure off of Lamb. Sunday night was a different story.

He led Dallas in receiving for the game with 87 yards on seven catches. He also did not have any major drops, something he hasd been struggling with. With Lamb seeing most of the attention all night, Tolbert made big plays that helped breathe new life into the Dallas offense.

What most will remember about Tolbert's night was the final drive. After Prescott recovered Dowdle's fumble back at the four-yard line, Dallas had to look to the air to win the game. On 3rd down Prescott went looking for Tolbert, but did not make a good enough throw to give him a chance. Tolbert actually got up limping after the play and looked like he might have to come out. Instead he came right back in and caught the biggest pass of his career for the go-ahead score.

This is what Dallas was waiting for from Tolbert. They need someone to step up while Cooks is out and more importantly make plays in the passing game outside of Lamb. Hopefully this kind of performance will do nothing but boost his confidence as this team continues their tough stretch of games.

1. QB Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott had another game of ups and downs but he willed his team in the end. He might not have played a complete $240 million performance, but he made the plays on the final drive to win a close game this team needed. With injuries all over the defense and more piling up Sunday night on the offensive line, Prescott struggled early.

The interception he threw at the end of the half was an ugly one. While he and CeeDee Lamb might not have been on the same page, that is still a mistake most would not expect those two to have at this point of their career together. It did not help when Lamb appeared to be talking to Dak on the sidelines about the play and the quarterback did not react.

Prescott threw another interception in the fourth quarter when his team was trying to build on a narrow three-point lead. He overthrew Jalen Tolbert and it was a clear misfire. Needless to say, that's not the kind of throw a franchise quarterback can make. The Cowboys had a solid drive going and had they found a way to take time off the clock and score anything, the game might have been over. Fortunately, he had a shot at redemption in the final minutes.

After the Steelers grabbed the lead back 17-13, Prescott began mounting a game-winning drive. Thanks to Dowdle and key first downs picked up by Jake Ferguson and Hunter Luepke, Dallas had the ball inside the one-yard line. After Dak recovered a Rico Dowdle fumble, he found Jalen Tolbert for the go-ahead score two plays later.

Prescott made the plays when it counted in the end. It might not have been glamourous, but he did finish with over 350 yards passing. With everything wrong on this team, fans unrealistically expect Prescott to will the Cowboys to victory every Sunday. Against the Steelers, he did just that.

2 losers from the Steelers win

2. S Donovan Wilson

The Cowboys' defense rose to the challenge facing Najee Harris and a good mobile quarterback in Justin Fields. The defense held Pittsburgh to just 92 rushing yards which is not bad considering the numbers they have given up so far this year. However, one of the losers on that side of the ball was Donovan Wilson.

Wilson has been a diamond in the rough the Cowboys have found in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. Since his arrival, Wilson has developed a reputation of having a nose for being around the football and making big hits. Sunday night saw a rare lapse for him on a critical drive in the final minutes.

With the Steelers down 13-10, Fields got them into scoring range, eating up a lot of the clock. Dallas' defense had been holding their own most of the game, but they all but helped the Steelers take the lead back with penalties. The biggest was committed by Wilson.

Fields found George Pickens for a first down on third down near the redzone, but Wilson hit him when he was already out of bounds. He was called for unnecessary roughness and it gave Pittsburgh a first and goal. They took advantage and scored two plays later.

That mistake put the Steelers in prime position to take the lead and it could have potentially been a game-losing penalty. Dallas once again had double digit penalties, committing 11 for 87 yards. Even with backup players out there, that number is still way too high. Dallas overcame them in this game, but every game will not be like that. Wilson needs to make sure he learns from this mistake if he wants to continue being a playmaker for this defense.

1. WR CeeDee Lamb

Yes Lamb finished with 62 yards which is still not bad. Yes the Steelers covered him well limiting the big plays. What makes Lamb a loser from Sunday night's game is how his attitude was shown to a national TV audience again.

After the sideline interaction fans saw against the Ravens, Lamb was silent the rest of the game. He refused to talk to reporters afterwards and while he did apologize, some were still wondering about his attitude. He had a bounce-back game against the Giants, making a big catch for a touchdown that virtually sealed the win. However, his frustrations came into full view again.

After Prescott threw a critical redzone interception at the end of the first half, Lamb was seen yelling in his direction. While it was hard to determine what Lamb was saying, it did not look pleasant. Sure Dak did not help his cause by seemingly ignoring him, but Lamb cannot continue to react that way when things go wrong.

The Cowboys did not pay him $136 million to scream at his quarterback every time he does not get his way. Dallas has already dealt with its fair share of diva receivers in guys like Terrell Owens and Dez Bryant. The last thing they need is for their new 88 to be more of the same.

Yes Lamb is arguably one of the top three receivers in the league, but at this stage of his career he has to act more mature than that. There are proper ways to fix things like miscommunication. Lamb needs to learn to not let those emotions show too much when there will always be a camera on him.

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